Polling by YouGov for environmental justice charity Friends of the Earth has found that 79% of people back the measure, with just 10% opposed, and 11% saying they don’t know.

The polling also found that a whopping 87% of people think the UK is not adequately prepared for extreme weather events such as heat and drought.

This includes 81% of Reform and 84% of Conservative supporters.

In the UK, there is currently no legal limit on minimum or maximum temperatures in the workplace.

There is guidance on minimum temperatures, but none for maximum temperatures – an increasing risk as the climate crisis fuels more frequent periods of extreme heat.

In May, the government’s climate advisers – The Climate Change Committee (CCC) – said the government should follow the lead of other European countries by setting a maximum workplace temperature to protect people as heatwaves intensify. 

Last month, the Greens’ newest MP, Hannah Spencer, tabled a Private Members’ Bill to create a legally mandated maximum workplace temperature.

While most Private Members’ Bills don’t become law, some significant legislation has originated this way – including the abolition of the death penalty and 1960s abortion law reform.

Unions, including Unison and the body representing unions, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have backed Spencer’s bill.

The UK’s largest trade union, Unison and the TUC have long called for a maximum indoor work temperature of 30°C, or 27°C for strenuous work.

Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said: “This summer’s heat may seem exceptional, and terrifying records are being broken – from monthly temperature highs to what will likely be the most heat-related deaths ever recorded.

“But as our planet warms and climate breakdown intensifies, it will be remembered as increasingly unremarkable. This should be a sobering thought for us all.”

Downes added that “the government can’t afford to bury its head in the sand any longer”.

“Setting a maximum workplace temperature is a much-needed way to protect people from the impacts of our warming climate,” she said.

Downes also accused Andy Burnham of “barely” mentioning climate change since he has become prime minister.

“With the country baking in yet more suffocating heat and drought-induced food shortages a growing threat, it’s also remarkable the new Prime Minister’s government has barely mentioned climate change in recent weeks.

Referring to the government’s emergency Cobra meeting on the extreme heat yesterday, she said: “It’s good that ministers are finally coming together to discuss how our country can best respond.”

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, said: “As the climate crisis makes heatwaves more common, the UK needs to adapt. We need to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat.”

He added: “That means new laws on maximum working temperatures. This will incentivise employers to make improvements to workplaces to keep them cool and safe.”

So far, Andy Burnham’s government has rejected calls for a maximum workplace temperature.

A government spokesperson said: “We have no plans to introduce a mandatory maximum workplace temperature.

“The Health and Safety Executive has shared guidance for employers to plan for and support those working in extreme heat to keep workers healthy and safe.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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The videos, seen by Byline Times, also advise party canvassers to ignore ‘no junk mail’ signs and to deliver leaflets anyway and to avoid wearing any party branding whilst doing so, in order to make the activists “unidentifiable.”

Byline Times reports: “In one presentation, Reform activists are told: “The fact is, the biggest threat to Reform is people in it and itself. It’s not the Tories, it’s not Labour, the establishment is going to throw everything at us. The biggest chance of things going wrong is stuff like infighting, stuff like people just saying and doing stupid stuff. That’s our biggest risk.”

“Local campaigners for the party are also told: “Treat every social media post like a press release, if this was sat on the desk of an anti Reform journalist, what are they going to do with it?”

“Don’t drink and tweet. If there is any doubt, just don’t post it.”

That’s how much faith Reform have in their own party members.

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The poll by More in Common think tank has found that 37% of British voters would vote for the parody candidate with a rubbish bin on his head over Nigel Farage.

Meanwhile, the poll found that just 32% of Brits would want the Reform leader to win the contest.

Unsurprisingly, the data splits down party lines. A majority of progressive voters back Count Binface, while 53% of those who voted Conservative in 2024 and 87% of 2024 Reform voters would prefer Farage to win.

Nonetheless, based on these numbers, if all British voters were able to vote in Clacton, Binface would win a head-to-head with Farage.

Despite the popularity of Count Binface at a national level, a recent constituency-level poll carried out by Survation predicted that Farage will win the election with 73% of the vote.

Farage stepped down as the MP for Clacton on 7 July amid mounting scrutiny over the undeclared £5 million donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.

The Reform leader said that he triggered the by-election because the “people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”, and not “the Establishment”.

In an interview with Mehdi Hasan, Count Binface pointed out that whatever result Farage gets today, it is “proof” he has made “a false equivalence between a democratic mandate from Clacton and the results of a parliamentary inquiry into his financial affairs”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Farage, 62, is now priced at 2/1 to be the next major party leader to depart.

It comes as his party’s poll ratings tumble, with Reform now finding itself trailing both the Labour Party and Tories.

Farage’s stunt in quitting as the MP for Clacton, only to re-stand, has also spectacularly backfired with all major parties boycotting the vote. The Reform leader has been criticised for quitting given that he was undergoing a standards committee investigation into a £5million donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne which he failed to properly declare. Should he win re-election, the investigation will restart.

His personal approval ratings have also collapsed amid Reform’s troubles.

Given Farage’s troubles, the bookies reckon there is a 33 per cent probability of Farage exiting next.

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Setting out his stall to constituents ahead of the Clacton by-election tomorrow, Farage told The Metro newspaper that the by-election was “forced” upon him.

Farage: “I did not want to resign as your MP and have this by-election. But the political establishment forced it upon me.”

When he stood down as Clacton’s MP at the beginning of July, Farage said he had done so because the “people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”, and not “the Establishment”.

Speaking with Mehdi Hasan from Zeteo, Count Binface was questioned about claims his alter ego John Harvey is a ‘London liberal, ex-BBC, anti-Brexit comedian’ and whether this makes him ‘Establishment’.

Binface responded by stating: “Who’s the establishment? The lone wolf in amateurish space armour from Sigma 9?

“Or the gentleman who has been a member of the British Parliament, the member of the European Parliament, a central figure in British politics for over 20 years and is a member, reputedly, of the East India Club which to this day I understand does not admit women?”.

Binface added that whatever result Farage gets today, it is “proof” he has made “a false equivalence between a democratic mandate from Clacton and the results of a parliamentary inquiry into his financial affairs”.

Binface also roasted Farage on Brexit.

The parody candidate said: “First I analysed the cons of Brexit. That took me quite a long time and I’m still doing that.

“And then I decided to have a look at the pros…”

After a pause, Hasan asked: “None?”.

“None that I can see,” Binface confirmed. 

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Setting out his stall to constituents ahead of the Clacton by-election tomorrow, Farage told The Metro newspaper that the contest was “forced” upon him.

Farage said: “I did not want to resign as your MP and have this by-election. But the political establishment forced it upon me.”

The Reform leader announced his resignation as an MP on 7 July amid mounting pressure and media scrutiny over the undeclared £5 million gift he received from Christopher Harborne in April 2024.

Farage was being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner when he resigned, over whether he should have declared that income.

If he is returned to Parliament tomorrow, that investigation is expected to resume.

When he stood down as Clacton’s MP at the beginning of July, Farage said he had done so because the “people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”, and not “the Establishment”.

According to the chief executive of Tendring District Council, Ian Davidson, the council by-election is expected to cost a quarter of million pounds in taxpayer money.

Farage initially offered for Reform to pay for the by-election, but the proposal was quickly rejected over concerns it would undermine the independence of the election.

Responding to Farage’s comments that ‘the political establishment’ forced him to call a by-election, deputy leader of the Green Party, Mothin Ali, said: “This is common currency for Farage – to blame the ‘establishment’ for problems he’s created himself.

“And with his many dubious connections to millionaires, billionaires and land and property owners he is very much part of the establishment.

“Nigel Farage is clearly preparing the ground for doing badly against a bin. His misjudged stunt in triggering a by-election in Clacton was his decision and his alone. He needs to own it.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Farage decided to quit as an MP claiming there was a witchhunt against him, when in reality he is under a legitimate investigation from the Standards Committee after his failure to declare financial support he had received.

Farage had failed to declare a £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, leading to accusations that he had deliberatley concealed it.

An investigation was launched into whether Farage should have disclosed the ‘gift’, but was paused after the Reform leader resigned his seat.

It was clearly another political stunt by Farage, designed to seize the narrative and to define the terms of the debate, however it has clearly backfired given that all of the major parties have boycotted the vote and Farage has been left to face satirical candidate Count Binface.

However, should Farage be re-elected, he faces the standards committee investigation restarting.

Now he’s claimed that the political establishment made him quit. He told the Metro: “I did not want to resign as your MP and have this by-election. But the political establishment forced it upon me.

“My promises to Clacton are simple: I will always be accountable to you; I will always take on Westminster for you; I will always fight to fix broken Britain for you.”

Come on Nigel, you quit to save your own skin and weren’t even aware the standards committee investigation would restart. Who are you kidding?

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Graham won a landslide victory, picking up 68,694 votes. Her only opponent – Simon Dubbins – received 31,130 votes. That means Graham won 69 per cent of the votes cast.

Speaking on her re-election, Graham said: “It’s an honour to be re-elected by Unite members to serve as their general secretary. This decisive victory is a powerful mandate to continue change. The trust that members have placed in me will be fully repaid as we step up our focus on delivering for workers.

“Together we have already achieved a huge amount in the last five years.

“My second period of office will continue to be marked by a relentless focus on the jobs, pay and conditions of workers. It will always be members over ministers and the workplace over Westminster.

“We will continue deliver much needed reform to our union. It is my mission to build the industrial and political power required to better serve the working class.

“Workers face many challenges in a changing world. From AI to decarbonisation and rising global tensions. Unite will be at the forefront of a stronger collective rooted in the working class.”

Turnout in the election was 100,089, down on the last contest for the general secretary in 2021. In 2021, 124,147 members voted, with Graham narrowly defeating Steve Turner and Gerard Coyne.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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The video from 2023, shows Braverman, who was then a Tory MP, in the Commons saying how proud she was ‘of the high number of Afghans who have been resettled and welcomed into the United Kingdom’.

Around 20,000 people from Afghanistan moved to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Both schemes officially closed to new applications and referrals on July 1, 2025, though applications submitted before that deadline continue to be processed.

The schemes were designed for current or former locally employed staff who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles and faced a serious threat to life.

Speaking in the Commons in June 2023, when she was the Tory home secretary, Braverman said: “I am very proud of the high number of Afghans who have been resettled and welcomed into the United Kingdom.

“Between 2015 and 2022, almost 50,000 people have been resettled and relocated, of which over 21,000 were through the Afghan schemes – the ACRS and ARAP.

“And over 28,000 were through established resettlement schemes related to other countries. So I think that is a good track record.”

Since joining Reform however, Braverman has been a vocal critic of the scheme she once praised.

She criticised the scheme on social media after Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, accused former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace of being “a traitor to Britain” for allowing thousands of Afghans to come to the UK.

In a post on X yesterday, Braverman said ARAP was “an appalling scheme that put huge pressure on the Home Office and yet another mistake by the last Tory government”.

She called both ARAP AND ACRS ‘Great Betrayals by the last Conservative government.’

Her post was even community noted by X with context about how she previously supported the scheme.

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Lewis told Left Foot Forward that approving new North Sea oil and gas licences would be “incompatible with any government claiming to be serious about the climate crisis”.

As Andy Burnham prepares to chair an emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting on the extreme heat affecting the UK today, Lewis said North Sea oil should be “number one” on the agenda. 

The Norwich South MP told Left Foot Forward that if Burnham is “serious” about tackling the climate crisis “then allowing further extraction while the world quite literally burns would send the opposite message to the British public”.

The prime minister has said that in his first phone call with Donald Trump he told him he will take a “pragmatic” approach to oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Burnham had said he would “open up” North Sea Oil.

Asked about Trump’s comments, Burnham said: “There is a resource there. When people are struggling – you can’t ignore that and hence me indicating that to the president.”

The PM has also not ruled out granting approval for two new oil and gas fields, Jackdaw and Rosebank.

Lewis stated that if Burnham allows further extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea, “It would suggest that, when confronted with the power and interests of the fossil fuel industry, those ambitions [to tackle climate change] are negotiable.”

The Labour backbencher added: “If we believe oil still has a strategic role during the transition, then nationalise it and treat remaining reserves as a strategic national asset. Better still, leave as much of it in the ground as possible. 

“But allowing new oil to be extracted and sold on international markets for billions in private profit, while doing little to lower UK household bills, is incompatible with any government claiming to be serious about the climate crisis, particularly if it wants to retain credibility on the international stage.”

The Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, who called on Burnham to hold a COBRA meeting about the heatwaves in a video on X on 30 July, said Burnham should commit to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.

In a statement, Polanski said: “When the country is burning and people are dying, the PM had to call this meeting. But this is only a first step. 

“This is a climate emergency which is leading to hundreds of deaths and stretching our firefighters, health staff and farmers to the limit. What we urgently need is concrete action.

“That must include taxing fossil fuel giants to pay for firefighting helicopters, a cool space in every community, and a maximum working temperature.

“The prime minister must also commit to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. We cannot negotiate with the science.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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