The Liberal Democrats have urged Andy Burnham to convene a cross-party meeting to discuss the UK's response to worsening extreme weather, including the forthcoming 'super El Niño'. The call comes after the UK experienced five successive heatwaves since May, which have dried up lakes and raised concerns about global food shortages and inflation.
Call for cross-party talks
Pippa Heylings, the Lib Dem spokesperson for energy security and net zero, said Burnham has shown he is able to commit to talking about things people care about, but there has been a "baffling silence" from him on extreme heat. She said banning disposable barbecues is good, but more is needed.
Heylings and Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, wrote to Burnham a fortnight ago proposing a meeting of the UK's party leaders to discuss long-term measures needed to protect the country from climate impacts and build resilience to extreme weather. They say they have not received a response.
Concerns over El Niño impacts
Heylings contrasted Burnham's reluctance to address the climate crisis with his prioritising of social care, on which he has called for cross-party support, saying "we want the same approach [to the climate]". She said even the leaders of Reform and the Conservatives, both of whom have vowed to scrap net zero, should be able to join in an effort to protect the UK.
The forthcoming El Niño could bring more serious problems, Heylings added. "The scale of this Super El Niño is unprecedented and will have impacts here in the UK exacerbating our extreme weather particularly with more intense flooding and storms over the autumn and winter. We're looking at a double whammy." She added that any cross-party approach should not be limited to discussing preparedness for extreme weather, saying "the key question is how do we stop it worsening?"
Mixed reactions from MPs
Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, backed the Lib Dem call for a cross-party meeting, saying "it's the kind of politics we need" and that political cooperation is the start of consensus building.
However, Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, warned it was unlikely a meeting would happen. "The idea the Conservatives and Reform UK would be willing to face up to the risks we face is for the birds," he said, adding that they have ripped up the political consensus on tackling climate change as they compete to see who can most downplay the need for action.
A spokesperson for the Conservatives said: "We wouldn't speculate on hypothetical talks to which we have not been invited." The Reform party did not respond to a request for comment. Hannah Spencer, a Green party MP, said the climate crisis should be a priority across every sector of the economy and every government department.
A spokesperson for the government said the UK continues to be a world leader in tackling the climate crisis, accelerating the transition to clean power, and acting to protect people and places from the impacts of climate change. They noted work with the National Drought Group, building nine new reservoirs and investing at least £10.5bn by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes as extreme weather becomes more frequent.
