Feargal Sharkey SHOCKED Labour is doing EXACTLY what it said it would over sewage pollution

Undertones star-turned-water campaigner Feargal Sharkey is still scratching his head over Labour doing – checks notes – exactly what it said it would do on sewage pollution.

Now the sewage-mongers in blue ties are out, Sharkey has turned his ire to slimy Starmer’s sewage stooges in red ties instead.

Of course, it’s the same Labour Party he was cosying up to ahead of the election and encouraging the public to vote for.

Sewage pollution saga continues

Fresh from its parliamentary summer holibobs, the new Labour government has announced its new bill to tackle the sewage spoiling UK waterways.

On 5 September, it introduced its flagship Water (Special Measures) Bill in a policy statement. This will:

• block bonuses for executives who pollute our waterways
• bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers
• enable automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing
• ensure monitoring of every sewage outlet

It’s doubtful any of Starmer’s ministers took a little holiday dip at a shit-infested UK beach this summer. If they had, they’d know how woefully inadequate the new measures will be in halting the tide of water company crimes.

Prolific anti-sewage campaigner Feargal Sharkey had something to say on it:

“Feargal Sharkey blasts Labour’s plans to clean Britain’s rivers as inadequate.”

What we need is decisive, bold, transitional action from govt this is not it.https://t.co/Jz2H62IMDf

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) September 5, 2024

In particular, he blasted the new government’s plans for doing nothing more than what existing laws already do:

“Water company bosses could face prison time in new Labour crackdown on sewage infested rivers, lakes and seas.”

That idea is already part of the Companies Act and has been for almost 20 years. Wanna know how many company bosses have ever been prosecuted never mind gone to jail…

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) September 5, 2024

Alongside this, he highlighted the party’s double standards:

“The new legislation being introduced to parliament on Thursday will also give the regulators powers to ban bonuses for water company CEOs.”

Am I getting confused or is govt? Treasury says it will absolutely not under any circumstances reintroduce the ban in bankers bonuses but…

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) September 5, 2024

And as some have pointed out, these bankers have also been complicit in the failed neoliberal sham of water privatisation:

Bankers made a lot of money and bonuses by helping water companies rack up debt they knew would end up around the neck of the public. Banks should be on the hook for that as much as the water companies

— DeanMorrison 🇺🇦🇪🇺#FBPE #RejoinEU (@BarumDean) September 5, 2024

While Sharkey made some important points, his outrage was also astonishingly hypocritical. Because, as some reminded him – this was the Labour government that he himself voted for and backed at the recent election:

Unfortunately like millions you were gaslit by starmer https://t.co/d4rXL1P0Zq

— Phil Waller (@Davejones0305) September 5, 2024

Just shy of 6 months 🤣🤣 https://t.co/jWTszZzCDY pic.twitter.com/BMD29O6tUW

— Bsazzled💚Grenfell💙NoahsArmy (@bsazzled) September 5, 2024

It was all there in the manifesto

Of course, the Canary has already pointed this out too. At the launch of Sharkey’s new clean water coalition, we listed a damning rapsheet of his repeated suck-ups to Labour.

It’s as if Sharkey had no idea what was coming. Here’s the thing though, this isn’t the case of another Labour U-turn blindsiding the public. Although I would argue those were just as predictable. The Labour Party literally had these exact plans in its manifesto, which stated:

Labour will put failing water companies under special measures to clean up our water. We will give regulators new powers to block the payment of bonuses to executives who pollute our waterways and bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers. We will impose automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing and ensure independent monitoring of every outlet

In fact, Sharkey was also gushing over these very plans during the election campaign mere months ago. And he’s been doing it since 2022. Fortunately, the internet has kept the receipts.

In December 2022, here he is lauding Labour’s plans to fine water company bosses:

A tale of two political parties.

One, Gov, are set to weaken water targets and delay their implementation.

The other, Labour, want to make water company directors personally liable, introduce automatic fines and reduce sewage discharges by 90% by 2030.

You decide. https://t.co/9Q6pWQ6Deg

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) December 9, 2022

Fast forward to the election run-up, and Sharkey had this to say about just such measures as Labour has plopped into its new bill:

“LABOUR leader Keir Starmer has told of his love of the Lake District as he promises a Labour government will bring in tough new regulations to sanction water company bosses for illegal dumping of sewage in Lakes such as Windermer.”

Now we’re talking. https://t.co/GS1Gwpzj0A

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) May 27, 2024

So from “now we’re talking” to “this is not it” in less time than it takes to water companies to pump drinking water full of parasites, Sharkey is well and truly taking the piss.

How much can change in just a matter of months. Not the dire state of water company pollution in UK seas and rivers. Nor the Labour Party’s half-assed plans for dealing with them. So that’s just Sharkey’s ill-fated love affair with Labour then?

If Labour’s vapid “change” slogan had Sharkey hook, line, and floater, he only has himself to blame.

Because at the end of the day, Labour’s slippery slate of sewage shills-turned-MP candidates, and criminal private water company ties were clear for all to see. A damn sight clearer than the UK’s shit-plagued seas at least.

Feature image via Youtube – Good Morning Britain