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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
Climate change: the Conservatives ignore the burning question
Why was there almost no overlap in this week's major news events: the Tory leadership race and the hottest days on record? Because the party of small-mindedness and big business has nothing but contempt for our planet, writes ALAN SIMPSON

BRITAIN swelters in an unprecedented heatwave. Tens of thousands of people across Europe flee from fires that defy public control.

The climate change committee reports that Britain is falling behind in its existing climate commitments. And scientists warn that even if we meet the 1.5°C target, this month’s heatwaves are likely to become the summer norm.

You would have thought all this would have made avoiding climate breakdown the centrepiece debate among Conservative contenders to become prime minister.

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