Reform's Richard Tice says UK must adapt to changing climate

The UK should "learn to adapt to the changing climate, rather than arrogantly think you can stop the power of the sun", Reform UK's deputy leader has said.

According to the Met Office, this summer is the hottest on record, with five separate heatwaves.

Ahead of the party's national conference in Birmingham this week, Richard Tice was asked about climate change, including criticism he received for previously telling people they should enjoy the prolonged hot weather.

"I get criticised all the time, but it's true isn't it? People have enjoyed the warm weather," he told BBC South East.

"I'm 61. I remember 1976, half a century ago, it was a similar summer day," Tice added.

The 1976 heatwave saw a drought declared as temperatures peaked at 35.9C in Gloucestershire.

Fifty years on and the UK is fresh from a summer that saw 40 days of temperatures above 30C (86F), eclipsing the previous record of 34 days.

Clear that he will not "resile" from his comments that the hot weather improves the quality of English wine, Tice argued that climate change is nothing new.

"The climate has always changed for millions of years, it always will," he said.

The world's climate has changed naturally throughout history, but natural causes cannot explain the particularly rapid warming seen over the last century, according to the UN's climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In addition, the world's 11 warmest years on record have all happened since 2015, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Tice added: "I think we should celebrate our successes such as the English wine and sparkling wine industry."

The deputy leader believes that the UK's efforts in this space have been unrewarded.

Tice said: "We've done more than our bit; we've halved our Co2 emissions in the last 30 years. Globally, Co2 emissions continue to soar."

According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 367 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted by the UK last year - a 54% reduction since 1990.

Tice further claimed that UK energy prices have "doubled in seven years because of net zero and the cost of renewals" but this has made "no difference to global Co2 emissions".

Last week, it emerged that energy prices for millions of households will rise to the highest level for three years because the Iran war has resulted in higher wholesale gas prices.

Last month, BBC Verify cited the cost of wholesale gas as one of three reasons why bills have soared.

Another is that the UK generates a relatively high share of its electricity from natural gas, while billpayers are also helping to fund the building of electricity grid infrastructure.

According to industry body Energy UK, the typical household's dual-fuel bill is now 70% higher than it was at the start of 2021.

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