Wednesday briefing: ​Can the UK adapt in time to a new normal of extreme heat?

The UK swelters once again. On Tuesday, temperatures surged to 35C, condemning millions of people to another sticky night in homes ill-prepared for such warm conditions. The heat is record-breaking: we are still in spring, yet temperatures are close to extremes we once never expected even in high summer. Yorkshire experienced its first ever “tropical night” in spring on Monday, when the evening temperature failed to fall below 20C. Health alerts remain in effect across large parts of the country due to the increased likelihood of deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly people. Yet, experts warn, this may just be the road to a new normal. For today’s First Edition, I have spoken with the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, about how the country can adapt to heatwaves and improve resilience to extreme heat. But first, the headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Tony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election. UK news | One out of every five people arrested after their participation in the 2024 summer riots has since been reported to the police for domestic abuse , the Guardian can disclose. …