The debt-laden water company recently won court approval for a £3 billion loan deal designed to keep it running into 2026.

The inquiry was launched after the deaths in Scottish hospitals of newborns Leo Lamont, Ellie McCormick and Mira-Belle Bosch.

Ms Kallas – who also serves as vice president of the European Commission – is also due to meet Defence Secretary John Healey.

Downing Street declined to say whether David Lammy would correct the record after making the remarks in the Commons.

Life expectancy in the UK has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, new estimates suggest. A baby girl born between 2021 and 2023 can expect to live for an average of 82.8 years, while a baby boy is ...