Liberal Democrats urge cross-party climate talks in UK

The Liberal Democrats have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to convene a cross-party meeting to address the United Kingdom’s response to worsening extreme weather. Party leaders Ed Davey and Pippa Heylings proposed the meeting to discuss long-term resilience against climate impacts, including the potential for a ‘super El Niño’ which could exacerbate flooding and storms.

Heylings, the Lib Dem spokesperson for energy security and net zero, noted that while the government has addressed drought via Cobra meetings, there has been insufficient action regarding successive heatwaves and the resulting threats to food security and inflation. The party suggested that leaders from all major parties, including the Conservatives and Reform, should collaborate on national preparedness.

Separately, the Energy Competitiveness Unit has suggested that the government could reduce household energy bills by up to £7 billion. The think tank proposes that older low-carbon power plants, such as wind, solar, and nuclear, should return a portion of the profits gained from carbon tax windfalls to consumers and businesses.