Droughts across the UK risk creating a “dust bowl Britain” Labour have warned, as the party demands urgent COBRA meetings to address the problem.
As droughts have been declared in several regions of the country and extreme heat warnings issued, Labour ’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner has called on the Prime Minister to step up and act.
Boris Johnson made a rare appearance at a meeting this week with energy bosses but has so far failed to act to help the country amid the ongoing heatwave or bring in any additional help for the cost of living crisis.
Since announcing his intention to resign he has faced criticism for leading a "zombie government" that has not acted as the country faces mounting crises.
Such is the concern around the bone dry weather, there have been reports farmers' yields could be significantly affected this year and into the future.
Angela Rayner accused the Tories of “lurching from crisis to crisis with no forward planning” as new analysis from the party showed three billion litres of water were lost in Britain to leaks every single day.
This is the equivalent of four Lake Windemere’s being lost every year and an Environment Agency report published in April 2018 said that enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost through leaks everyday.
The party pointed out that as global temperatures continue to rise with the ongoing climate crisis the risk of droughts becomes larger and larger for the UK.
Labour outlined a three-point plan that it said would make Britain more resilient to emergencies such as droughts.
This included a new Cabinet subcommittee who would work on preparing the response as well as a Minister for Resilience to coordinate government responses.
Labour also said they would overhaul Local Resilience Forums to improve the local response to emergencies as well as introducing a whole-of-society approach to improve the national emergency response.
They also called on the soon-to-be ex-prime minister to publish the much-delayed National Resilience Strategy almost a year after the consultation closed.
Angela Rayner MP, Labour's Deputy Leader, said: “This is the second major heatwave in weeks but this Tory Government is failing our country yet again. Conservative inaction on drought warnings is creating a dust bowl Britain. The Conservatives are lurching from crisis to crisis with no forward planning. This zombie Government hasn't even held a COBRA meeting whilst millions are facing droughts.
“Instead of stepping in, Ministers have fallen asleep in the midday sun. They lecture the public on the use of hosepipes, but where is their plan to protect our vital water system. It has been nearly a year since they launched their National Resilience Strategy consultation and yet they don’t have a single plan. They are all spin and no substance.
“Labour would boost Britain’s resilience now and put in place the climate change mitigation measures our country needs.
“Labour has a concrete resilience plan ready to go, which would ensure our country is better prepared for heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. By failing to prepare, the Tories continue to fail our country.”
This all comes as swathes of the country battles through more extreme heat and more drought conditions whilst parts of the north could face thunderstorms and floods this weekend.
The Met Office issued an amber heat warning that covered most of England and Wales as temperatures could reach as high as 34C.
Meanwhile a yellow warning for thunderstorms is in place from noon Sunday to 6am Monday for most of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This comes after an official drought was declared in eight areas of England on Friday by the National Drought Group (NDG).
