No minister!

Funny how the language changes once opposition becomes government.

Emma Hardy MP spoke for us all when she called out Conservative failure on sewage pollution from across the floor.

She once described the inherited water system as “little more than a national shame” and said the Conservatives presided over “millions upon millions of tonnes of sewage” being dumped by “unscrupulous and unregulated water companies”.

She had the ruling party bang to rights. Bravo. At last someone with the bravery to speak out. To stand up and be counted. To... oh wait...

Now Labour is in power, and Ms Hardy is the Water Minister, the tone has, errr, shifted somewhat.

Quelle surprise.

What was unbridled, tack spitting, anger has now become calm and calculated reassurance.

With her boot firmly on the other foot Ms Hardy just a few months ago told Parliament the previous government had overseen “record levels of sewage pollution”, but that Labour had secured £104 billion of private investment to upgrade pipes and halve sewage pollution by 2030. *

She also said bathing waters were being prioritised for upgrades because of their importance to health, leisure and tourism.

And on the Water Special Measures Bill, the message is now all about stronger powers, tougher rules, pollution reduction plans and more accountability.

That's all well and good but people have heard this sort of thing before.

It is one thing to call a system a national shame from the opposition benches. It is another thing altogether to fix it when the responsibility lands on your desk.