However Lib Dem Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames said the bill's provisions could only be said to send the wrong message because some Labour politicians had wrongly accused the government of pursuing a "hidden agenda".

BBC: Ministers offer more concessions on NHS bill

Bill Alexander, head of Britain's Thames Water, now wants his firm to earn a third of its profits from outside regulated Britain.

ECONOMIST: Water

To save the fast-disappearing forests, Parliament in 1581 passed a bill to forbid tree-cutting within 22 miles of the Thames, 3 miles of the coastline and 4 miles of the Sussex forests.

FORBES: Magazine Article