Richard Tice's 'enjoy heatwave' climate comments fuel debate on adaptation
Richard Tice's suggestion to enjoy heatwaves and stop fighting climate change is debated, with hosts arguing for adaptation over alarm.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, has come under fire for comments suggesting people should enjoy the heatwave rather than fight climate change. His remarks, reported in the Daily Mirror and The Guardian, were made as wildfires burned across parts of the UK, destroying homes and scorching land.
On a GB News discussion, presenter Patrick Christys questioned whether it was appropriate to make light of the situation while people were suffering. He pointed to the devastating impact of the fires, noting that 14 wildfires in south Wales alone covered an area equivalent to 400 football pitches. He argued that a Labour politician making similar comments would face heavy criticism for misjudging the public mood.
Co-presenter Carol defended Tice's broader point, insisting that the UK cannot stop climate change and must instead learn to live with it. She called for practical measures such as building homes with air conditioning, ensuring farmers have irrigation systems, and adapting infrastructure to withstand hotter summers. She also criticised what she called "stupid alerts" telling people not to have barbecues, saying they do not solve the problem.
The discussion also questioned a widely reported study that estimated 2,700 heat-related deaths in May and June. Carol challenged the figure, saying it came from a modelling exercise rather than recorded deaths. She noted that the same study did not attribute a single death directly to the hot weather. The panel also highlighted that more people die from cold weather than heat, citing a global study that found 95 per cent of extreme weather deaths are cold-related.
Tice's comment about the heatwave being good for English wine production was also debated. Carol said it was "literally true" that warmer weather could benefit the wine industry, and she argued that the UK should focus on positive aspects of climate change rather than always being "Cassandras". However, Patrick remained sceptical, suggesting the comments were a distraction from the immediate suffering caused by wildfires.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| A reported figure of 2,700 heat-related deaths was based on modelling, not actual recorded deaths. | |
| It was reported that more people die from cold weather than from heat. | |
| It was reported that the UK should adapt to climate change rather than try to stop it. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The segment framed Tice's comments as controversial, with the presenter questioning their timing while fires burned. The co-presenter offered a robust defence of adaptation and challenged the accuracy of heat-related death figures, presenting a contrarian view on climate alarmism.
- “is it the time to make light of the situation obviously not”
- “we have to adapt to it we have to change the way our country works so that we don't have trains for falling off melting tracks”
- “that same study that this has been reported from actually said there wasn't there hadn't been one single death attributed to the hot weather not one”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.