PM Burnham Leads Emergency Meeting on Extreme Heat in the UK

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Bryan Brittos

JAKARTA - The British government will hold an emergency meeting led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Wednesday afternoon local time to discuss a number of countermeasures against extreme heat waves and forest fires.

As reported by Sky News, citing a spokesperson for the British prime minister's office, the meeting will be the first for Burnham to lead a meeting of the government's emergency committee or Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA).

"We are aware of how difficult this summer has been, especially for firefighters who are fighting forest fires, farmers working in the midst of drought conditions, and NHS (UK health service) staff in very busy emergency units," said a British government spokesman. reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Wednesday, August 12.

"We will continue to take the necessary steps to maintain public safety, protect water supplies, and preserve the environment," the spokesperson added.

Weather forecasts show that high temperatures will continue in all parts of Great Britain. Temperatures are expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and potentially rise to 38 degrees on Thursday (13/8).

In July, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recorded 2,877 excess deaths during the heatwave in May and June. This figure is almost double the record of deaths in the summer of 2025, namely 1,504 deaths.

On Thursday (30/7), drought was declared in Wales due to deteriorating conditions due to high temperatures. Drought also occurred in about half of the UK in July, after rainfall reached a record low and high temperatures lasted for a long time.