The heatwave gripping Britain has prompted ministers and Whitehall officials to hold a Cobra meeting on Thursday (July 14). The summit of the Government’s emergencies committee was chaired by Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse, a key ally of Boris Johnson.
According to The Mirror, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “There have already been some coordination meetings at official level across government. This is a progression of that to ensure that as we come into what are predicted to be the hottest days, which are currently predicted to be Monday and Tuesday, that the necessary mitigations and actions are in place, or being put in place.”
The departments of health and transport have been involved in preparations. The PM’s spokesman added: “There is already significant work and contingency plans that are ready to be enacted or are being enacted.
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“In the first instance a lot of this is making sure the public are aware of the advice available, and particularly those with young children or vulnerable family members. There are awareness campaigns led by the UK Health Security Agency and others to that end.
“This is to ensure that should any other departments or agencies require additional support or if there are any further decisions pending, that we continue to play that coordinating role." Earlier this week, the Met Office extended an extreme heat weather warning for England and Wales until Tuesday, with the mercury set to soar across the UK.
The warning means there could be a danger to life or potential serious illness from the scorching heat. An amber alert will run from Saturday until Tuesday.
Temperatures are set to peak on Tuesday, with forecast highs of 36C (96.8F). The meeting comes after the Commons heard on Wednesday that the Government is "making sure that all NHS trusts are prepared" for the heatwave.
Health minister Maria Caulfield told MPs ambulance services are facing "the sort of pressures we would normally expect to see in winter". Answering an urgent question, she revealed she would be "meeting all 11 ambulance trusts over the coming days to make sure that they have the capacity and resilience they need".
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned "extreme weather" is putting further pressure on emergency services.
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