By Guy Taylor Reports that Rachel Reeves is mooting the use of private finance to fund the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing has fuelled chatter thatPrivate Finance Initiatives could be set for a return. Private Finance Initiatives, or PFIs, were a staple of Tony Blair’s Labour government, but have become controversial amid debate over whether they were ultimately more expensive in the long run. A PFI is a long-term contract between a private party and a government entity where the private sector designs, builds, finances and operates a public asset and related services. The private party bears the r…