‘My fear is that – without urgent action – the worst is still to come’: Sadiq Khan has said climate fears must be addressed. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projects
Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.
Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.”
There is growing concern among Labour MPs and climate experts that the new prime minister may support renewed drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea; since arriving in No 10, Burnham has remained largely tight-lipped on climate and environmental concerns despite speaking out about them during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester.
Last month, Burnham said he would be “pragmatic” about oil and gas and that decisions on new drilling would be made “in due course”. “The question isn’t whether Britain will still be using oil and gas, the question is where does it come from,” he said.
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Green party leader Zack Polanski (Green Party of England and Wales). Image: Bristol Green Party Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Polanski calls for financial support for homes to keep cool, and free cool spaces in every community
Says extreme weather poses threats to safety, food and water supply, and our way of life
Calls for fossil fuel giants to pay cost of adapting to extreme weather and fire risk
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has delivered a ‘reality check’ to the Prime Minister as he ‘sounded the alarm’ about the impacts of extreme heat and wildfires in the UK.
Speaking at the end of yet another heat health alert, Polanski warned that ‘what we’re living through right now are likely some of the least extreme summer temperatures we’ll experience in our lifetimes’ and accused new Prime Minister Andy Burnham of failing to act.
The Green leader set out a series of measures he called on Burnham to take to keep people safe from extreme heat, including financial support to keep homes cool and cool spaces in every area, after an estimated 3000 people died as a result of dangerous temperatures in recent months.
Warning that the crisis risked food and water shortages, Polanski called on the government to bring water into full public ownership – saying that water companies had failed to secure our water supply with leaky pipes and a failure to build new reservoirs.
He also cited farmers warning of the risk of empty shelves, after flooding followed by drought led to the UK facing its worst harvest on record.
Polanski was joined at a press conference by an ex-soldier, a GP, and a firefighter, who described the consequences of extreme weather they had seen in their work – and broadcaster Chris Packham who sounded the alarm about the future risks of the climate crisis.
Polanski said:
“The scenes we have seen play out on our television screens are frankly apocalyptic.
“And yet the response from our government is to pretend none of this is happening. It’s an astonishing dereliction of duty from those whose first responsibility is to keep us safe.
“And from the media – with some brilliant and notable exceptions – we’ve seen more clamouring for North Sea drilling in the last few weeks than raising the alarm on climate breakdown.
“While our country has come together – to offer shelter to those who had to leave their homes due to wildfires, to check in with elderly neighbours, to care for those who are sick because of the heat – the government has been far, far too quiet.”
He went on:
“In the immediate term, we need to keep people safe from extreme temperatures. That means a free, accessible cool space in every local area. And financial support for households to heatproof their home.
“Second, we need a robust wildfire prevention strategy. A fire service with the resources it needs to tackle blazes when they come. That must include firefighting helicopters where needed, and not again seeing the shocking sight of requiring a charity to step in to contract a private firm to help fight the fires.
“And this should be funded by taxing the fossil fuel giants who are profiting from fuelling these infernos.
“Finally, to secure our water supply, prevent droughts and protect our food system we need to bring water back into public hands. Right now, money is flowing out of our hands into the pockets of shareholders – just like water is flowing out of these companies’ leaky pipes in the middle of a drought.”
Carl Benfield, former soldier and engineer, said:
“As a soldier and an engineer, I was used to conducting threat assessments and defensive plans. It is clear to me that climate change is the single greatest threat to human security we face.
“Removing climate resilience from our national defence priorities was an act of complete strategic blindness.
“You cannot defend a nation if you refuse to acknowledge the very force that makes its infrastructure obsolete, burns its countryside, and threatens its food and water supply.”
No further action will be taken by police after Zack Polanski shared a photo of a man with a T-shirt showing a guillotine and the phrase “we’re only making plans for Nigel”.
The Metropolitan police’s decision comes after the Green party leader for England and Wales said he had made an “inadvertent mistake” and would not apologise to Nigel Farage.
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A Met spokesperson said: “We absolutely understand the reaction to this image being shared online, particularly in the context of increasing threats toward politicians.
“While there will be people who will argue that those who shared the image in this Instagram post should be subject to criminal action, our review has concluded that on this occasion, the threshold is not met.”
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Green party leader Zack Polanski (Green Party of England and Wales). Image: Bristol Green Party Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
As speculation mounts as to who Andy Burnham will choose as chancellor, Zack Polanski said “The Green Party will tax millionaires and billionaires through a wealth tax. It is reported today that Labour by contrast are choosing to let millionaires and billionaires pick who their chancellor is. That is why we are here to replace Labour.”
Andy Burnham delivers a speech at the People’s History Museum, Manchester, to pledge to give Britain the “circuit-breaker it needs” while unveiling his plans for devolution and the economy, June 29, 2026
THE Green Party called on prospective prime minister Andy Burnham yesterday to cut energy bills by £150 before winter by shifting policy costs off household electricity bills and onto general taxation.
Zack Polanski’s party said a wealth tax should partly fund policies including the warm homes discount, which are currently funded through electricity bills and account for nearly 10 per cent of domestic electricity charges.
Ofgem’s price cap rose by 13 per cent yesterday to £1,862 a year for the average household, with forecasters expecting prices to remain high this winter.
Cornwall Insight predicted a typical household would face a bill of £1,849 from October.
After Chancellor Rachel Reeves moved some policy costs onto general taxation in November’s budget, the Greens urged Mr Burnham and his new chancellor to do the same for the remaining five policies funded through bills, saving around £120 a year on average.
Removing energy debt servicing costs from bills could save a further £35 a year.
Andy Burnham delivers a speech at the People’s History Museum, Manchester, to pledge to give Britain the “circuit-breaker it needs” while unveiling his plans for devolution and the economy, June 29, 2026