New UK PM Starmer tries to woo investors

2/10/2024 14:09

        British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a tough sales job this month in his first high-profile meeting with international investors whose cash he needs to accelerate economic growth and halt a sense of national decline.
        
        Starmer will host executives from global banks, power firms and other multinationals on Oct. 14, hoping that political volatility in France, Germany and the United States will enhance Britain's attractiveness.
        
        But big questions hang over how he will tackle the problems that hampered previous governments.
        
        Years of Brexit-linked political chaos may have ended with his Labour Party's big election win, but the near-collapse of utility Thames Water has unsettled investors.
        
        Britain's privatised water industry is under fire for polluting rivers with sewage amid accusations that profit has been prioritised over the environment. Current investors in Thames Water blame regulators for limiting bill rises they say are needed to fund investment.