Britain: The government is accused of “not taking the heat seriously”.

The British government is accused of not taking seriously the heat wave that is expected to hit from tomorrow United Kingdomwhile meteorologists warn that extreme temperatures can lead to the death of people.

On Saturday, the resigned prime minister Boris Johnson didn’t go to the crisis response team meeting at Downing Street, as he was busy saying goodbye to friends at the prime minister’s country house in Checkers, north-west London. Today, the Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, appeared to be rejoicing in the forecast that the temperature could exceed 40 degrees Celsius, for the first time on record, in England. “Of course, we listen to the sensible advice: stay hydrated, avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day and put on sunscreen, that sort of thing,” he told Sky News, adding: “But we have to take advantage of the sun,” assuring that the country can handle the heat and there is no reason to close schools.

The comments angered health professionals and meteorologists.

“It’s not a nice, sunny day where we’re going to put on some sunscreen, go out and go swimming or eat. This is a severe heat wave that could, ultimately, kill people because it will be so intense. We are not equipped for this kind of heat in this country,” warned Tracey Nicholls, head of the College of Paramedic Professions.

Transport Secretary Keith Malthouse called for no “serious problems” in transport while London Mayor Sadiq Khan advised people to use public transport only if “absolutely necessary”.

The Met Office has issued its first ‘red alert’ for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday. The temperature can exceed 40 degrees in London. The absolute UK record goes back to 25 July 2019 and was 38.7 degrees recorded at Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

Patient transport services have been put on alert and many schools have already announced they will remain closed.

RES-EMP

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