The mercury is rising. And so is the tension in the corridors of power. Paris has slapped an alcohol ban on its streets as a brutal heatwave shifts east. Here in Britain, the UK Health Security Agency has flicked the switch on a Level 3 Heat Health Watch. This isn't a drill.
The French capital's move is a blunt instrument. It bans the sale of alcohol to take away from bars and shops across the city from noon to 8pm. The message is clear: dehydration is a threat. Public order is fragile when the thermometer hits 40C. The Elysee doesn't want a repeat of the 2003 disaster that killed 15,000. This is pre-emptive. And effective.
But what of Westminster? The Heat Health Watch is a tripartite agreement between the Met Office, the UK Health Security Agency, and the Department for Health. Level 3 triggers a response from the NHS, social care, and local authorities. But don't expect a ban on booze in Parliament Square any time soon. The lobby is buzzing with whispers that No. 10 is monitoring the situation nervously. A heatwave is a political minefield. It exposes the fragility of our infrastructure. The rail network melts. The NHS struggles. And the public demands action.
Number 10 is in a bind. The PM's aides are telling the lobby that this is a 'weather event', not a policy failure. But the opposition is circling. Labour's shadow health secretary has already tabled urgent questions. They want to know: are we prepared for the next big one? The answer, insiders tell me, is not reassuring. The heatwave plan is a patchwork of guidance and local discretion. It lacks teeth.
The real drama is in Whitehall. The Cabinet Office has convened COBRA meetings twice this week. Sources say the Home Office is pushing for a 'public health' messaging campaign. But the Treasury is resisting any new spending. The Chancellor is paranoid about inflation. He sees every government advert as fuel for the fire. The result is paralysis.
Meanwhile, the backbenches are stirring. Tory MPs from the South East are calling for a 'heat tsar'. They see this as an opportunity to burnish their climate credentials. But the net-zero sceptics are furious. They think this is a 'green' panic. The party is split. As always.
Let's talk data. The Met Office has issued a red warning for parts of eastern England. Temperatures are predicted to hit 38C. That is well above the threshold for a Level 3 response. The last time we saw this was July 2022. And that saw record-breaking 40.3C at Coningsby. The system held, but barely. Hospitals were overwhelmed. Rail lines buckled. The government was forced into a series of emergency statements. The PM at the time, Boris Johnson, was criticised for being absent. The lesson: heatwaves can topple governments in waiting.
Behind the scenes, the Health and Social Care Secretary is being briefed hourly. A leaked memo to NHS trusts, seen by this bureau, warns of 'significant pressure' on A&E departments. It advises cancelling non-urgent appointments. But local health chiefs are already complaining that the funding for this is 'insufficient'. The real test will come when the heat peaks on Tuesday. The lobby is full of talk of a potential 'major incident' declaration.
Across the Channel, the French are managing the crisis with gusto. President Macron is touring a fire station. He looks tanned and in control. The contrast with Westminster is stark. Here, the PM is stuck in Number 10, waiting for the next bad poll. The latest numbers, from YouGov, show Labour 12 points ahead. The cost of living crisis is the number one concern. But the heatwave could shift that. If the government is seen to be handling it well, it might buy some goodwill. If not, expect the knives to come out.
The Paris alcohol ban is a bold move. It will be studied by officials here. But don't expect a copycat policy. The British approach is more laissez-faire. We trust the public to behave. At least until the first heat-related death makes headlines. Then the tone will shift. The lobby is already predicting 'emergency measures' if things get bad. But by then, it might be too late.
For now, the heat is on. Both literally and metaphorically. Boris Johnson used to say 'the sun will continue to shine' but he meant something else. For this government, the sun is a threat. A test of competency. And as the mercury climbs, so do the stakes. Watch this space.
