On Wednesday 12 August, Andy Burnham finally acknowledged the climate chaos we’re experiencing by holding a COBRA meeting. People hoped the PM would implement serious measures to ensure the long-term viability of the country; instead, we got this:
Water nationalisation for our water security?
End north sea oil & gas – invest in renewables for our energy security?
A maximum workplace temperature for worker security?
No. A request not to sell BBQs.
This is dire from Andy Burnham. Spectacularly mishandling the crisis. pic.twitter.com/FYei1TMmQ8
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) August 12, 2026
Burnham: disposable
Because of the extreme temperatures we’re experiencing, the UK has faced water shortages, wildfires, and droughts. It’s true disposable barbecues can be a catalyst for wildfires; it’s also true disposable products are wasteful by nature. The problem is that banning disposable barbecues doesn’t fix the underlying issue.
We’re not seeing more wildfires because Britain is in the grip of some sort of disposable barbecue mania; we’re seeing them because everything is so dry that fires start, spread, and persist more easily than normal. Yes, we should ban disposable barbecues, but we can’t eradicate all sources of ignition.
At the same time, we can take steps to prevent worse climate change in future, but Burnham doesn’t seem to be interested in that.
This is an outrageous failure from Andy Burnham & this Labour Government.
He says they “don’t know the remedy.” It’s obvious.
Nationalise water companies.
Tax fossil fuel companies.
Invest in renewables.Labour selling us down the river to please their donors as country burns. pic.twitter.com/G5xZ9V0YPh
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) August 12, 2026
As people are pointing out, Burnham’s focus aligns with the position of climate sceptics:
Genuinely surprised how bad a response this is. https://t.co/RVk24imlID
— Tom Hatfield (@WordMercenary) August 12, 2026
I assumed the micro policy thing was a short term plan not that he’d be stupid enough to use it in response to the big issues.
— Tom Hatfield (@WordMercenary) August 12, 2026
As reported by the BBC, Burnham arguably isn’t doing anything:
Andy Burnham has urged shops to stop selling disposable barbecues amid increased wildfire risk driven by this summer’s droughts.
The prime minister said he was urging “all retailers big and small” to adhere to voluntary guidance to suspend sales during extreme heat.
He added that in the “longer term” the government would look at potentially banning the single-use grills during summer months.
The barbecues being sold today were bought months ago. Unless they’re forced to swallow the loss, many businesses won’t just chuck these products away. In other words, this COBRA meeting was as disposable as the barbecues Burnham has taken issue with.
Alright for some
There is one person on the left who’s very happy, though, and that’s Novara’s Aaron Bastani:
We banned plastic straws but allow…single use barbecues?!
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) August 12, 2026
As Bastani has noted elsewhere, there are a lot of easy wins for Burnham to seize right now. The problem is that going for the easy wins when you’re presented with the big issues makes it look like you’re not a serious politician. So the question for us is do we celebrate the fact that we got something? Or do we do what Burnham won’t and keep our eyes on the bigger picture?
Banning disposable BBQs but letting fossil companies drill more oil would be just the balance of priorities we have come to expect from a British government. https://t.co/pocU7UTte1
— Scottish CND (@ScottishCND) August 12, 2026
Stop the hot
While smaller shops will no doubt continue to sell disposable barbecues, some larger retailers have agreed to stop. This isn’t down to Burnham, though; it’s the product of a framework between the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and fire chiefs from 2023. And notably, they’d stopped selling them this year before Burnham’s COBRA meeting.
We’d say we need to keep the heat up until Burnham makes some actual changes, but at this point, the heat will stay up whether we like it or not.
Featured image via aa / Jacob King
By Willem Moore
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