Reform’s deputy leader has been accused of spreading misinformation after he dismissed efforts to tackle the climate crisis and urged British people to enjoy the warmth of the recent heatwaves.
Richard Tice prompted a backlash from nurses, medical experts and green campaigners on Monday after he told a press conference he believed it was “arrogant” to try to stop the climate emergency, while encouraging people to focus on upsides such as better English wine.
Asked about the recent extreme heat, Tice told a press conference: “Of course, the climate changes, but where is the evidence that net zero is going to stop it? Where is the evidence? There is no evidence.
“Climate change has always happened. It always will. Maybe the smarter thing to do is to adapt to it than think arrogantly that you can stop it.”
He added: “When it’s a bit warm, let’s enjoy it. And if it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic. That means we can take on the French – fantastic. Let’s celebrate some of these things rather than just be sort of doom and gloom about it.”
Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, said: “Richard Tice’s comments are tone-deaf. With wildfires raging across the UK and drought threatening water supplies and food security, comments like these don’t just raise serious questions about his judgment – they also expose where his interests really lie.”
Tice’s comments came amid a record-breaking summer during which temperatures have risen above ۳۵C several times, causing thousands of deaths, millions of hospital visits and costing the UK an estimated £۴bn in economic output.
The government has estimated that ۲,۸۷۷ people died as a result of high temperatures during the May and June heatwaves – double the figure for the whole of last summer.
The climate breakdown has been linked to the increasing frequency of wildfires, which are burning larger areas across many parts of the world. The so-called firewave the UK witnessed weeks ago was the most widespread the country has seen, with the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves exacerbating the risk.
New figures published in the Lancet on Tuesday reveal older people are affected by the heat at lower temperatures than previously thought, while medical professionals say they are struggling to deal with the surge in patients.
A spokesperson for the Royal College of Nursing said: “Those calling for people to enjoy the impacts of climate change should say it to the nurses collapsing in hospitals where temperatures are hitting ۳۶ degrees.
“Or to the thousands of patients lining corridors every day as extreme heat causes severe illness among the vulnerable, older people and even those without pre-existing conditions.
“Climate change is a public health emergency that’s getting worse in front of our eyes. The nursing profession doesn’t want out-of-touch interventions, but action to reduce emissions and make NHS and care facilities safe to work and be cared for in.”
Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University, said: “It’s concerning to see someone so high profile spreading misinformation around climate change and its impacts.
“Particularly for the elderly, heatwaves over time make them less capable of regulating their body temperature. Even a few degrees either way can have a major impact.”
Caroline Abrahams, the charity director of Age UK, called the new findings into the impact of heat on older people “alarming”, adding: “This study means there’s now no denying that extreme heat poses a very real health threat to our older population.”
The National Farmers’ Union, meanwhile, has said farmers are facing “one of the worst ever” harvests, while firefighters have battled wildfires in Derbyshire, the Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Reform has long campaigned to scrap the government’s commitment to reaching net zero by ۲۰۵۰ and has promised to end green subsidies if elected.
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The party has taken tens of millions of pounds in donations from people with connections to the fossil fuel industry since it was set up in ۲۰۱۹, most notably from the billionaire Christopher Harborne, who owns a jet fuel brokerage and whose £۵m gift to Nigel Farage is now at the centre of a parliamentary inquiry.
While Farage has questioned the role that human activity has played in changing the climate, his deputy leader has been more outspoken in denying that the planet is experiencing a climate crisis at all.
He posted in ۲۰۲۴: “We are not in climate emergency; nor is there a climate crisis. But yes, climate change is real because it has happened for millions of years past & will do in future.”
On Monday he called on the government to invest in desalination plants, which he said worked well in the Middle East, where he spends much of his time. “Where’s been the discussion about desalination plants that are used in other parts of the world very, very successfully?” he said.
“Yeah, there’s not much water on land in the Middle East. They use desalination plants. We’re surrounded by water. It is too difficult to build a reservoir – let’s look at desalination plants.”
Last week the Guardian reported that Thames Water was preparing to restart the UK’s only mainland desalination plant to restart operations later this year – but it will not be ready until the winter.
Alasdair Johnstone, the head of parliamentary engagement at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “Far from being an enjoyable experience, for many this summer will have brought hardship, with ۲,۸۷۷ deaths during the May and June heatwaves, over ۱,۱۰۰ of which are directly attributable to the extra heat added by climate change.
“Firefighters have been called to over ۱,۰۰۰ wildfires, which have devastated the landscape, displaced people, and destroyed homes.
“The only way these climate change impacts can be prevented from becoming more common and severe is to tackle the cause, which means reaching net zero emissions by ۲۰۵۰.”
Amy Cameron, a programme director for Greenpeace UK, said: “Tice’s words show that a party bankrolled by fossil fuel interests will keep denying the climate crisis for its funders’ benefit even when its impacts are undeniable.
“Reform should try telling nurses fainting on shifts, farmers losing their crops and people running from burning homes to enjoy the hot weather and see what reaction they’ll get.”
Additional reporting by Denis Campbell and Ajit Niranjan
