This Summer's Record Temperatures and Drought Have Strained Water Supplies and Prompted Farmer Warnings About Food Shortages

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has accused Labour ministers of a "dereliction of duty" over this summer's heatwaves, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take urgent action on wildfires and droughts. Speaking in central London, Polanski said the threat to public health and food supplies was the "biggest threat to this country since the Second World War, and called for publicly accessible "cool spaces" and financial support for home heatproofing. He also pressed Burnham to block new oil and gas drilling licences, including the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in Scotland, and to introduce a wildfire prevention strategy with firefighting helicopters.

Labour hit back, saying the Greens had "repeatedly opposed" new reservoirs and clean energy projects, citing objections to a planned mega-reservoir in Oxfordshire and solar farms in Norfolk. A Labour spokesperson said: "If Zack Polanski wants to tackle the climate crisis, he should start by telling his fellow Green Party politicians that actions speak louder than words. Burnham, who entered Downing Street two weeks ago, has backed greater public control of the water sector but stopped short of full renationalisation. This summer's record temperatures and drought have strained water supplies and prompted farmer warnings about food shortages.