"We are in a new climate reality" — Adrian Ramsay MP calls for Minister for Climate Adaptation as Britain faces fourth, most dangerous heatwave of the year

"We are in a new climate reality" — Adrian Ramsay MP calls for Minister for Climate Adaptation as Britain faces fourth, most dangerous heatwave of the year

Britain is bracing for its fourth and most dangerous heatwave of the year, with temperatures set to surpass 30°C today, as Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay calls on the Prime Minister to create a dedicated Minister for Climate Adaptation.

"We are in a new climate reality," said Adrian Ramsay MP. "While the Prime Minister gets ready for his decade of renewal, he must face the fact that Britain must get used to extreme weather, from heatwaves and wildfires to flooding and storms. This is a major threat to our country and we need the Government to step up."

With land parched and a record early harvest after weeks of sustained heat, Ramsay warned that the growing wildfire risk now amounts to a national security threat, one the Government is failing to treat with the urgency it demands. 

Adrian Ramsay Green Party MP for Waveney Valley said:

"With temperatures set to surpass 30°C today after a sustained period of heat this summer, our land is now a tinderbox," Ramsay said.  “We're already seeing wildfires visible from space in Spain and devastating fires in France, and Britain is not immune, we've seen homes evacuated and communities put at risk by fires here too. This is what our new normal looks like, and our neighbours are living it right now. This is a national security threat, and the Prime Minister needs to treat it as one." 

"With Europe the fastest-warming continent on Earth, Ramsay argued that "the crisis our neighbours are facing today is a warning of what's coming for us tomorrow," urging the Prime Minister to use this moment to put significant mitigation measures in place before it's too late including a Heat Resilience Strategy."

"This would include prioritising cooling, including air conditioning where needed, in settings where people are vulnerable, such as hospitals, schools, prisons and care homes, ensuring emergency services are properly equipped to respond to extreme heat, setting up cool spaces for the public, and introducing measures to ensure people can stay safe in the workplace. This would include." 

 ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Adrian has called on the Government to deliver a national Heat Resilience Strategy urgently, led from the Cabinet Office with clear ministerial accountability, ensuring that decisions on housing, infrastructure, health, energy and land use are all designed for the climate we now face.

• Adrian has also proposed a dedicated Climate Adaptation Unit, based in Number 10, to coordinate the Government's response to the growing risks posed by climate breakdown. A key responsibility of the unit would be ensuring councils, local authorities and public bodies work together effectively on local resilience planning, including flood prevention, heat adaptation, emergency response and protecting vulnerable communities. The proposal follows the Climate Change Committee's recommendation for a more structured national approach to managing the interdependencies between critical systems and services.

• The Green Party is reiterating its call for an urgent package of heatproofing measures, including a street-by-street programme to insulate every home that needs it, keeping homes warm in winter and cool in summer, alongside blinds and shutters where needed to keep heat out.

• Other measures include prioritising cooling, including air conditioning where needed, in settings where people are vulnerable, such as hospitals, schools, prisons and care homes, and introducing a maximum temperature limit for workplaces and classrooms.