Peak temperatures are expected on Tuesday afternoon, with part of Nottinghamshire forecast to see 41C by the Met Office
The extreme heat has also put pressure on the NHS and its infrastructure with some operating theatres reported to have closed as they could not maintain the required temperatures.
He rejected criticism of Boris Johnson, who did not attend Cobra meetings on the response to the heatwave, saying he had briefed the prime minister and it was his job to co-ordinate the response across the government. The heatwave is happening when average world temperatures have risen by just over 1C from their pre-industrial levels.
We know what is behind this - greenhouse gas emissions caused by our burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at the highest level for two million years and rising, according to the IPCC.
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