Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what work is being undertaken by the COBR Unit and the Resilience Directorate to coordinate departmental contingency planning for the potential impact of a super El Niño in 2026.

In the UK, previous El Niño events have increased the risk of mild, wet and windy weather in early winter, and drier, colder conditions in late winter. An El Niño is just one of a number of climate drivers that can influence weather patterns in the UK and any potential impacts will depend on how these drivers combine which will be assessed in more detail later in the year as forecasts evolve.

The Cabinet Office is the lead government department for severe weather including severe storms, extreme heat and cold and it is responsible for coordinating both the preparations and response to these weather events. The COBR Directorate regularly reviews and exercises response plans for all severe weather risks and implements lessons learned from previous seasons. If severe weather is forecast, the COBR Directorate will convene the cross-Government Severe Weather Resilience Network to assess sector preparedness and raise any concerns or current issues that may impact response plans.