El Niño: Impact

Lord Harris of Haringey Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Harris of Haringey]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact a possible El Niño event later this year would have on public services; and what advice they are preparing for businesses and for the general public.

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and I draw attention to my registered interest as the chair of the National Preparedness Commission.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent) (Lab)]

My Lords, El Niño is just one of a number of climatic drivers that can influence UK weather patterns. Any potential impacts will depend on how these drivers combine; this will be assessed in more detail later on in the year as forecasts evolve. The Government continue to take action to strengthen the UK’s resilience against severe weather events. The national risk register details the wide-ranging impacts of severe weather to ensure that comprehensive contingency plans are in place.

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend the Minister for that Answer. Some 46 months ago today, the UK suffered its highest recorded temperature—40 degrees in London —which led to nearly 300 premature deaths in London alone and possibly 3,000 deaths across the country. It also led to the fire brigade in London being called out because of the associated wildfires; that marked its busiest time since the Blitz in the Second World War, and, if you look nationally, there has been a pattern of an increasing number of wildfires. Can my noble friend the Minister say what steps are being taken, if not in preparation for an El Niño-related heat event then in preparation for any other heat event, to ensure both that the fire service has the necessary resources and that hospitals and the public are aware of the implications of that sort of event?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right: 2022 was the UK’s hottest year on record and saw over 20,000 hectares of land in England burned, the destruction of over 70 properties across the UK and at least 14 fire and rescue services declaring major incidents in their areas, as well as 2,985 excess deaths. We have to learn from each event as it happens and make sure that the lessons learned are reflected in our resilience plans going forward, which is why we now have a severe weather resilience network, which is led by COBRA but includes MHCLG and the Department of Health as key aspects of it. We need to make sure that the most vulnerable are protected and that those who need resources, whether at a local or national level, have what they need to keep us all safe.