Plans to cope with floods and heatwaves risk 'disaster'

Labour has failed to act on the impact of the climate crisis, putting people, the economy and the environment at increasing risk of disaster, the UK's climate watchdog has warned.

- Fiona Harvey

Flooding, droughts and heatwaves are all increasing in severity because of climate breakdown but plans to defend against extreme weather are "inadequate", said Julia King in a scathing assessment.

The peer, who chairs the adaptation subgroup of the Climate Change Committee, a statutory adviser to government, said: "We are seeing no step-change in activity from the new government, despite the fact it's clear to the public the current approach just isn't working. The country is at risk, people are at risk, and there is not enough being done."

She said it was "frightening" that the government was not taking seriously the rapidly increasing danger of flooding and was instead considering cuts to flood defences.

"The government is under a lot of pressure to make cuts, but this isn't the easy one to cut," she added.

The Treasury has indicated that flood spending would not be ring-fenced, and could be reduced in the spending review in June.