Tice told a press conference this week: \u201cWhen it\u2019s a bit warm, let\u2019s enjoy it<\/a>. And if it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic. That means we can take on the French \u2013 fantastic.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s celebrate some of these things rather than just be sort of doom and gloom about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Phillipson told the Guardian on Wednesday: \u201cI think he owes an apology to the firefighters who were battling in extreme conditions, putting themselves and their lives at risk in order to protect people\u2019s homes and deal with these extraordinary fires that we\u2019ve seen. He should apologise to them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not funny to crack jokes about sparkling wine at a point at which our brave firefighters are out there kind of battling the real-world impact of what we\u2019re seeing from climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n Reform did not respond to a request to comment.<\/p>\n Labour has sought to highlight Tice\u2019s comments in recent days, including by releasing a video<\/a> putting his words next to footage of homes destroyed in the Stourbridge wildfire<\/a>.<\/p>\n He made the remarks as part of a broader attack on net zero policies, which have also been a target of the Conservative party in recent days, despite the increasing frequency of extreme heat events.<\/p>\n Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, gave a speech on Wednesday criticising the government\u2019s push to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. She said the UK \u201cshould focus all our attention on making electricity cheap, and then let consumer choice be king\u201d.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | Every weekday<\/p>\n Sign up to First Edition<\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Andy Burnham has been criticised by climate campaigners for saying little about the climate crisis. The prime minister held a Cobra meeting last week<\/a> to discuss the impact of the heatwave and drought, but failed to mention climate breakdown, focusing instead on disposable barbecues<\/a>.<\/p>\n Later, on a visit to Stourbridge, he said: \u201cWe have to face up to the changing climate \u2026 there\u2019s no point denying where we are. We need to face up to it. We need more clean energy.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782846071_379_1000.jpg\")
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