Kemi Badenoch has said that the UK “makes a lot more of hot weather” than it used to as Britons swelter in record-breaking heat.
The Tory leader was speaking during a visit to Carver Barracks in Essex, under glorious sunshine and punishing temperatures across southern England.
Rare red warnings for extreme heat were issued by the Met Office for Wednesday and Thursday.
Soaring temperatures saw the record for the hottest June day smashed yesterday, with highs of 36C recorded at both Wisley in Surrey and Gosport in Hampshire.
Schools have also been closed, with travel warnings being issued across the country.
“We need to make sure that we all look after ourselves during the hot weather,” Mrs Badenoch began.
However, the Leader of the Opposition added: “I do think that nowadays we make a lot more of hot weather.”
Despite her remarks, the Tory leader stressed: “It’s also important that we do what we can to tackle climate change.”
Mrs Badenoch emphasised that Labour measures to manage Britain’s carbon footprint were failing.
“The plans that we have at the moment, the net zero legislation, and so much in the Climate Change Act, are not actually sorting anything out,” she said.
“All they have done is send jobs and emissions to other countries.
“We’re now importing fuel that is dirtier than what we would do here.”
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“We need to rethink that. And that’s why I’ve changed conservative policy on it,” the Tory leader continued.
Amid the heatwave, red heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for the East of England, East Midlands, London, the South East, the South West and the West Midlands.
Amber heat health alerts have also been issued across the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The Royal College of Physicians said doctors have also warned of unsustainable pressure on the British workforce, with very few environments having air conditioning.
Mrs Badenoch’s Shadow Minister for Transport Richard Holden blamed skyrocketing enegry costs under the current Labour government for the lack of air conditioning in the UK.
Speaking to GB News on Wednesday, he said workers and commuters were facing “absolute nightmare” conditions without the cooling systems.
“The truth is, other countries managed to deal with this, and they managed to deal with it via air conditioning.
“We can only really afford air conditioning if you’ve got energy prices which aren’t sky high like they are here in the UK.”
“The Europeans pay on average about half our energy costs, the Americans around a quarter, the Chinese around an eighth,” Mr Holden added.
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