The Liberal Democrats are calling for air conditioning to be made mandatory in all new UK homes, arguing the country's housing stock is "woefully unprepared" for the extreme heat brought by climate change. The party also wants cooling systems required in essential public buildings such as schools and hospitals, alongside passive measures like planting more trees in residential areas. The proposal comes as a UK Health Protection Agency yellow heat alert covers much of England, with London expected to reach 32C, and follows a summer marked by severe drought and wildfire risk.

Currently only about 4 million of the UK's 30 million-plus homes have air conditioning, although this figure has doubled in the past three years. Lib Dem polling found 28% of people bought a fan or air conditioning unit during recent heatwaves, and 26% said the heat had left them feeling unwell or faint. The party cited an Imperial College London analysis estimating that May and June heatwaves killed around 2,700 people, with more than 40% of those deaths attributable to human-caused global warming, as it urged the government to set new building rules for developers.