The mercury hit 42C in Paris today. A record. But the real heat is political.
France is roasting. And the nation is divided. Not over climate change. Over air conditioning.
Macron's green ministers are calling for restraint. 'Adapt,' they say. 'Open windows.' But the Elysée is cool. Literally. British-made cooling units hum in the back offices.
Now the demand is exploding. UK exporters are scrambling. A factory in Milton Keynes is running triple shifts. Shipping containers are stacked at Dover. Destination: Lyon, Marseille, the Côte d'Azur.
'We can't make them fast enough,' a source tells me. Off the record, of course.
This is a political fault line. The French elite have their AC. The banlieues swelter. Riots have broken out in Nanterre. Not just over policing. Over heat.
Insiders say the French energy minister is privately furious. 'We are exporting our principles and importing comfort,' one aide muttered. But the Treasury in London is smiling. Export figures are due next week. They will be blistering.
Westminster is watching. Sunak's team sees an opportunity. 'Green trade is real,' a No. 10 strategist confided. 'If the French won't buy our heat pumps, they'll buy our chillers.'
But there is a sting. The British units run on electricity. Much of that comes from gas. Or French nuclear. The carbon footprint is ugly. Greens are aghast. 'Hypocrisy,' they cry.
Yet the market speaks. Orders are up 300% year on year. A British manufacturer just secured a deal with the Paris Metro. All stations will be retrofitted. The contract is worth £200 million.
Back in the Lobby, the chatter is about what this means. Is climate action dead? No. But comfort wins elections. French voters remember heatwaves. They remember the 2003 disaster. 15,000 dead. Macron knows this.
So the British AC flows. And the political temperature rises. Watch for a French u-turn on cooling regulations. Watch for a British export surge. The game is on.
This is Eleanor Rigby. From a sweaty Westminster. Over and out.
