Oral Answers to Questions

Fleur Anderson Excerpts

Wednesday 24th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising climate change, because it is one of the most significant challenges of our time, and the weather today reminds us just how important it is. It used to be common ground across this House that climate change was the generational challenge and that the UK should be a leader on it globally. I remember not so long ago the Conservatives leading in the COP summit—something that we were able to support. It is a shame that in order to chase Reform votes, they have changed their mind, and that we do not have that consensus across the House, but I will always maintain that we must be global leaders on climate change, and we always will be.

[Fleur Anderson (Putney) (Lab)]

Q6. This morning, a mature street tree fell on my house. No one was hurt, but it is another reminder of the results of this extreme heat that we face.Today is the hottest June day ever on record. Extreme heat and flooding are becoming more normal, and the Government need to stay ahead of that in respect of our homes, our workplaces and our farming. As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the environment, I am conducting an inquiry into Government preparedness. Will the Prime Minister tell the country what actions he is taking to step up our resilience?

[The Prime Minister]

It is clear that severe heatwaves are evidence that climate change is impacting our country. We have been working to co-ordinate the response, and I urge people to follow the guidance from the UK Health Security Agency. We are making our country more resilient for the future by modernising building regulations so that homes are cooler and better ventilated. We are building nine new reservoirs to protect water supplies and investing record amounts in flood defences and sustainable farming. While Labour is doing that, the Tories and Reform want to rip up the Climate Change Act 2008. That is the wrong approach for our country.