Reform Wales branded ‘irresponsible’ for ‘flirting’ with climate denial
Emily Price
Reform in the Senedd has been branded “irresponsible” after one of its MSs was accused with “flirting” with denying the existence of climate change amid this week’s scorching temperatures.
In a post to social media on Wednesday (June 24) Fflint Wrecsam MS Cristiana Emsley described the record breaking heatwave as a “normal British summer”.
Head of Climate Cymru Sam Ward labelled her remarks “untrue” and “dangerous”.
It came as the UK sweltered under a rare red “danger to life” Met Office warning which saw UK Government ministers announce they may look at introducing “‘too hot to work” rules for future summers.
Ms Emsley, who is the shadow cabinet minister for fairness, families and communities, accused the government of “state-sponsored mollycoddling”.
In a post to X, she wrote: “Two consecutive days of what used to be normal British summer and Westminster is already considering emergency workplace temperature limits.
“At this rate, by August we’ll have a Cobra meeting every time someone needs to put sunscreen on.
“Britain really has become the world capital of state-sponsored mollycoddling.
“One wonders how the Mediterranean economies manage to function at all.”
‘Not normal’
A Welsh Government spokesperson said the spell of extreme heat was “clearly not normal” and warned it was a reminder that climate change is already affecting people, nature, communities and public services across Wales.
Welsh Labour’s spokesperson for the environment Vikki Howells branded Ms Emsley “irresponsible”.
She said:”We had a red weather warning meaning a genuine risk to life – that should always be taken seriously. These unprecedented temperatures are concerning for us all, particularly those who have vulnerable loved ones.
“Our priority as elected members should be about assisting those in our communities who are worried or are at high-risk of falling ill, and calling on Plaid Cymru to robustly plan for increasingly extreme weather.
“The approach of Reform UK MSs in denying that these temperatures are a serious issue is irresponsible.”
‘Demand’
Wales broke its record for the hottest day in June on Thursday with temperatures in Cardiff’s Bute Park hitting 36.6 degrees Celsius.
Welsh health boards declared critical incidents as hospitals reported “exceptional demand” following a rise in emergency admissions linked to heat-related illness.
Meanwhile, thousands of schools, nurseries and businesses closed amid the blistering heat and high humidity.
Plaid Cymru MS for Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhymney, Niamh Salkeld, said the soaring temperatures were “not a normal summer by any means” and accused Reform of “flirting” with climate change denial.
She said: “It isn’t normal for schools to close or for transport networks to grind to a halt because of extreme heat. Nor is this just happening in the UK.
“Across Europe, this deadly heatwave has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and forced schools and cultural landmarks to close.
“While Reform flirt with denying the existence of climate change, Plaid Cymru is clear: the climate emergency isn’t a distant threat. It’s here and our communities are witnessing it as we speak.”
Climate change
Welsh Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds also criticised Reform for making light of the extreme heat, warning that it was a result of “human-caused climate change”.
She said: “From school closures and hospitals under pressure to disrupted rail services, it is clear that our infrastructure was not designed for the temperatures we are now experiencing.”
Laura Dunn, Senior Associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said the recent hot weather was not a one-off event like the historic heatwave of 1976 which saw thousands of people across Europe die in extreme temperatures.
She said: “Polling has shown a clear majority of Welsh people see with their own eyes that the climate is changing around us and want to see the country cut its emissions to help tackle this major problem.
“Denying that the climate is changing risks leaving our emergency services, our hospitals, our workplaces and our schools unprepared for the frequent and extreme temperatures and floods that are coming.”
Risk
Welsh Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter said there’s a risk of people “getting comfortable” with extreme weather being a regular occurrence.
He said: “This week’s record temperatures and subsequent school closures are a timely wake up call. The people of Wales are experiencing, in their communities, the direct effects of the ongoing climate crisis.”
A spokesperson from HOPE not hate said: “Since its inception as the Brexit Party, Reform UK has received more than £2.3 million from sources associated with either the fossil fuel industry or climate science deniers, and many of the party’s big donors have a worrying attitude on the climate crisis.
“It’s no wonder that Reform are pushing a view that the extreme heatwave we’re currently experiencing is somehow normal.
Just yesterday Wales recorded its hottest June day on record. But Reform UK only care about the interests of big business.”
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Sounds like she has air conditioning in her home. She’ll be just fine. The rest of us cheapos will just have to endure with fans and cold showers.
Reform dont flirt with it, they embrace it, it is what they are paid to do. Tice nearly chickened out of an interview when asked for the proof, who he uses etc. He cannot name a reliable one. They are bought and paid for.
And calling it a normal summer, Christina, go look at the figures when they are out for the excess deaths for this year. Pull your collective heads from farages rear,.
https://www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/reform-uk-nigel-farage-millions-donations-fossil-fuel-interests-climate-science-deniers/
Another bit of reading for reform and tory.
https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/news/13486-review-of-the-heatwave—uk-june-temperature-record-falls-on-three-consecutive-days
I don’t think they can read. All that brown stuff is covering their eyes.
I expect some are dim, others have a bit of intelligence but to be part of reform, you are in a think tank that is bought and paid for and this is what you must do to remain. Even if it is bleeding obvious.
Oh yeah, and what was that ARC conference farage was at.
Lava is completely safe for Reform voters to consume. Don’t fall for the propaganda efforts of the liberal leftist elites. It’s your body and the nanny state can’t control you.
No comment from the Tories? It looks as though they are keeping out of the debate. It is not a good look having nothing to say about what we have been facing recently. Might be that Badenouch’s comments on climate change are rather boxing them in.
By the sound of it she’s spent a bit too much time in the sun.
Regardless of the cause, only a fool would think that everybody is able to mitigate the effects of record-breaking temperatures. Will it take a certain number of deaths to convince her that maybe there may be a need to protect our elderly, young and Reform supporters?
Reform display a conspiratorial mindset akin to flat-earthers, believing both that the Moon is made of cheese and that Nigel Farage’s £5 million bung originated not from a crypto billionaire, but from the Tooth Fairy.
I find reforms climate change positioning bizarre. Many Reform members dismiss climate change in public, but the vast majority of these are doing it for populist reasons. Like the republican party in the US they think it attracts voters (an anonymous poll last year said republican congress members consisted of 15% as climate deniers despite the majority saying the opposite or negative things in public). The difference is in the UK less than 5% of people deny climate change. It’s just bad politics
This is not normal. We’ve already had two heatwaves and it’s still only June. Records for max temperature were beaten in both by my understanding.
Not only that but it actually used to snow in the winter, I don’t remember having any significant snowfall since that big one we had in 2018.
Anyone who thinks it’s normal must have been living under a rock, which actually may not be a bad strategy for dealing with the next heatwave…
I propose, given their obsessive fetish about African trees that a den of Reform senedd members be sent to the Mountains of Kong (look it up) to examine the accuracy of their cacoëthes.
They should then produce a report detailing their findings, (monosyllabic words and very short sentences will suffice given the limitations of the authors).
However, and here comes the crux of the brief : they will not be allowed to return to the Senedd until this report is completed and filed.
As a school boy my brother and I always went out in the last week of the Summer holidays to pick the first blackberries of the season. Now as a Dadcu, when I go to collect my grand children from primary school we have already started checking out the blackberry spots as we walk home. Bushes are full of flower and in some cases berries have already formed. Last year we collected enough berries for our needs before school broke up for the Summer break. A real Welsh example of climate change.
Are they sponsored by the oil and gas industry, as well as Thai crypto barons?
See my most above, but here it is.
https://www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/reform-uk-nigel-farage-millions-donations-fossil-fuel-interests-climate-science-deniers/
You can smell the ambition on her
This is someone determined to make a show
Any issue will do
— Franklin D. Roosevelt”