This week, Britain was hit by an unprecedented heatwave, with temperature records shattered and the country placed under the highest state of alert. For the first time, red warnings were issued for three consecutive days. Schools closed; nights became sleepless as the mercury rose to meet the technical definition of 'tropical'. Wildfires broke out in Derbyshire.
Amid the sweltering conditions, the monarchy's core funding was confirmed to double to £100m, while the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace is currently coming in at £369m – though the King and Queen do not want to live there when it is done. Research by the former MP Norman Baker this week revealed that Prince William has done 57 royal engagements so far this year, the King, who is 77 and has cancer, has done 76, and Princess Anne has done 100.
“Britain swelters under record heat with red warnings, as royal funding doubles to £100m and politicians clash over net zero.”
At a rightwing conference in London dubbed the 'anti-woke Davos', Kemi Badenoch told delegates there was a 'villain' to blame for Britain's economic woes. 'His name is Ed Miliband and he has made our country poorer,' she said to applause. The gathering had been convened by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, whose backers include the owner of GB News and a string of fossil fuel companies. Among the officials from the current US administration in attendance was Donald Trump's energy secretary, Chris Wright, himself a former fossil fuel executive, who described Britain's green policies as a 'tragic mistake'.