Minister squirms over football ticket from water firm's parent company

The Environment Secretary squirmed today as he admitted he did not know he was getting a free football ticket from the parent company of a 'failing' water firm.

Steve Reed was repeatedly challenged over taking the £1,700 gift from Hutchison 3G UK, which runs the Three network and is owned by the same firm that ultimately owns Northumbrian Water.

In a round of interviews, he insisted he was not aware the company had any link to the water industry.

But he acknowledged that if he had checked the situation he probably would not have accepted the hospitality. 

'There was nobody from a water company that was involved in offering those tickets. There was nobody from a water company at that event,' Mr Reed told Sky News.

He said there were 'no conversations about water' at the event, which happened before Labour entered government.

When Mr Reed urged presenter Kay Burley to 'judge me by what I do', she shot back: 'I am.'

Pressed if in hindsight he would still accept the ticket, Mr Reed said: 'I probably wouldn't but I didn't know at the time and it hasn't influenced a single decision that I've taken...

'I don't think it's helpful that you're able to ask me questions like this.' 

Asked later on ITV about the ticket, he said that 'your inference as well as your facts, I'm afraid, are wrong'.

'It was a telecoms company called Three. They're not a water company. They're a telecoms company.

'It was declared openly and transparently, and if your inference is that by … taking tickets from a telecoms company, it's weakened my resolve on water, just look at my record.

'I had them in my office seven days after the election.

'I got the toughest action that any Secretary of State has ever taken against the water companies going through right now, making them face personal criminal liability and banning their bonuses.

'And I'm launching a commission today to reset the sector entirely so your inference as well as your facts, I'm afraid, are wrong.'

The Parliamentary register of interests show Mr Reed received a ticket to a Chelsea v Crystal Palace match with hospitality in December 2023, declared as worth £1,786.

Those were provided by Hutchison 3G UK Limited, a subsidiary of Hong-Kong based CK Hutchison Holdings Limited.

Northumbrian Water Group's ultimate parent company is CK Hutchison Holdings via two other intermediate holding companies.

Ofwat chief executive David Black earlier this year called Northumbrian and two other firms' records of polluting rivers and waterways 'a catalogue of failure'.