# PM to chair emergency Cobra meeting amid ‘extreme heat’ warning and wildfires

By Simon Francis — 2026-08-12

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “An emergency response to this latest heatwave is necessary, but there is a deeper emergency as well with millions of homes now unfit for summer or winter.

“Almost 2,900 heat-associated deaths have already been recorded and the same poorly energy efficient homes that cost lives in winter now leave people dangerously exposed in the heat in the summer.

“The Climate Change Committee warns that 92 per cent of existing homes could overheat, with the poorest neighbourhoods seven times more likely to be at risk.

“These are households on the lowest incomes with no affordable way to keep cool, while the same price shock profiteers driving the climate crisis profit from the bills families pay simply to survive it.

“Treating the problems caused by poor quality homes already costs the NHS at least £2.5 billion a year.

“Ministers must prioritise upgrading the country’s homes and develop a proper strategy for extreme heat. They must also deliver a permanent social tariff to reduce the cost of keeping cool for people with disabilities and health conditions and break the link between electricity and gas prices.

“Keeping a home at a safe temperature should be affordable for everyone, not a luxury for those who can pay.”

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