Reform's Tice accused of climate misinformation
SkimNews Take
The backlash comes from nurses and medical experts rather than climate scientists, signaling the political fault line has shifted from contesting climate science to contesting its public-health framing.
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- Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, told a press conference it was "arrogant" to try to stop the climate emergency, urging people to enjoy the warmth and celebrate better English wine.
- Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, called the remarks "tone-deaf" as wildfires rage across the UK and drought threatens water supplies and food security.
- The UK government estimates 2,877 people died from high temperatures during May and June heatwaves — double the figure for all of last summer — with temperatures exceeding 35C multiple times and the summer costing an estimated £4bn in economic output.
- The Royal College of Nursing said nurses were collapsing in hospitals reaching 36 degrees, calling climate change "a public health emergency" and demanding action to reduce emissions.
- New figures in the Lancet show older people are affected by heat at lower temperatures than previously thought, prompting warnings from Age UK and Swansea University researcher Simon Williams.
- Reform has received tens of millions of pounds from fossil-fuel-connected donors since 2019, most notably £5m from jet fuel broker Christopher Harborne, whose gift to Nigel Farage is now at the centre of a parliamentary inquiry.
- Tice called for government investment in desalination plants, citing the Middle East; the Guardian reported Thames Water's only mainland plant will not restart until winter.
Why it matters: The clash crystallises the gap between Reform's net-zero-scrapping stance and the government's tally of 2,877 heatwave deaths and £4bn in lost output this summer — and lands alongside fresh scrutiny of fossil-fuel-linked donations bankrolling the party.
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