The mercury surged past 40 degrees Celsius in Berlin today, forcing the German capital to grind to a halt. Trains stopped. Schools closed. The elderly were evacuated from care homes. But across the North Sea, Britain kept calm and carried on. And now, European policymakers are looking to the UK as a model for surviving the scorching new normal.
For a nation that once groaned under the weight of a 1976 heatwave, this week’s performance has been quietly remarkable. While Berlin’s U-Bahn shut down and Frankfurt Airport suspended flights, London’s Tube ran with only minor delays. Manchester’s trams stayed on track. Supermarkets in Leeds did not run out of bottled water.
“We’ve learned to adapt,” said Margaret Toms, a 67-year-old retired nurse in Sheffield, where she sat in her shaded garden with a damp cloth on her neck. “We’ve got the fans, the blackout blinds, the early morning shopping. You just get on with it.”
That resilience has not gone unnoticed. The European Commission’s crisis management chief, Janez Lenarcic, praised the UK’s “ robust infrastructure and public awareness campaigns” in a statement. He urged other member states to follow Britain’s lead: investing in heat-proof transport, checking on vulnerable neighbours, and keeping core services running.
But here’s the rub. This heatwave is a class divide made visible. While offices with air conditioning stay open, warehouse workers, delivery drivers, and kitchen staff sweat it out for minimum wage. The Office for National Statistics data this week showed that heat-related hospital admissions are three times higher in the poorest postcodes than the richest.
“It’s fine for the bankers with their chilled offices and hybrid working,” said Paul Ryan, a 53-year-old bricklayer from Bolton, who was still laying concrete at 2pm on Tuesday. “But for us, there’s no option. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. And the boss doesn’t care if it’s 40 degrees.”
The Trades Union Congress has been pushing for a legal maximum workplace temperature of 30 degrees, or 27 for strenuous jobs. So far, the government has resisted, calling it “unworkable”. But with climate scientists predicting more frequent heatwaves, the pressure is building.
In Berlin, the chaos was a warning. The city’s mayor declared a “state of emergency” as emergency services were overwhelmed. Hospitals set up triage tents. Firefighters responded to hundreds of heat-related calls. The city’s normally efficient public transport simply gave up.
“We are not built for this,” confessed a spokesman for Berlin’s transport authority. “Our trains, our tracks, our power grid. Everything is designed for a temperate climate. We need massive investment, and fast.”
Britain has made some of that investment. The Met Office’s Heat Health Alert system, launched in 2004, now issues red warnings for extreme heat. The NHS runs an annual campaign urging GPs to identify at-risk patients. Local councils open “cool rooms” in libraries and community centres.
But funding is patchy. A Freedom of Information request by this newspaper found that 40 per cent of English councils have no dedicated heatwave plan. And with the cost of living crisis biting, many families cannot afford the luxury of air conditioning or even a powerful fan.
“It’s the same old story,” said Councillor Brenda Jackson of Birmingham City Council. “We are praised for coping, but the people who suffer are the ones who can’t afford to adapt. We need a national strategy that puts the most vulnerable first.”
As Europe swelters, the UK’s relative calm is commendable. But let’s not pat ourselves on the back too hard. This heatwave is a test we are barely passing. And the next one will be hotter still.
For now, the Berlin shutdown is a stark reminder that no country is immune. The question is whether we learn the lesson now, or wait until our own trains stop running.
