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A rat fleeing the sinking ship?

In a move that surprises precisely no one, Ofwat chief executive David Black is bailing out—just weeks before the discredited water regulator is due to be scrapped.

Ofwat confirmed Black will step down at the end of the month, offering the usual vague excuse of “pursuing new opportunities.”

But make no mistake: this is the latest rat fleeing a ship that’s not just sinking but drowning in its own filth.

Last month’s bombshell report on the water industry laid bare decades of regulatory failure.

It accused Ofwat, the government, and profiteering water firms of jointly presiding over an environmental and infrastructural disaster.

Sewage spills are at record levels, investment has stagnated, and firms have siphoned off at least £54 billion to shareholders since privatisation.

The report didn’t mince words: Ofwat was asleep at the wheel.

Worse—at times it appears to have helped steer the sector into the mire.

Its cosy relationship with the water companies it was supposed to regulate meant little accountability, even as leaks, pollution, and public outrage mounted.

Now, with Ofwat set to be abolished and replaced by a new regulator, Black is getting out—before being pushed?

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has confirmed Ofwat’s days are numbered.

But he has ruled out renationalising the industry, claiming the government “does not have the money” – even though it would cost practically nothing to re-nationalise. Perhaps he’s worried about the cost of fixing what the privatisers allowed to fall to ruin?

So while the regulator collapses under public pressure and political reform, its top boss quietly exits stage right.

No apology.

No accountability.

Just another executive walking away from the mess they helped create.

Business as usual in broken Britain.

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