As attention turns once again to who will occupy the prime ministerial hot seat, Keir Starmer is far from the only person who has been feeling the heat at their work.

Last week, a record-breaking heatwave swept across the UK and Europe. Thousands of schools closed their doors. Train services were cancelled. The Eiffel Tower was temporarily shut to visitors. The London Fire Brigade responded to more than 400 incidents in less than 24 hours, while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service warned of an increasing risk of wildfires.

Heatwaves are more common now than they have been, and more intense. What was once a rare hot day is increasingly a rare hot week. Temperatures that once seemed remarkable are becoming routine.

Those changes matter.

While politicians can retreat from the glare when temperatures soar, millions of workers do not have that luxury. Whether in factories, warehouses, offices, construction sites, transport networks or in the outdoors, many are expected to carry on regardless of the conditions. A sheep being transported across the country enjoys better legal protection from excessive temperatures than many workers in the UK.

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Working in extreme heat is not simply uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. High temperatures increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and long-term health conditions such as skin cancer. They also reduce concentration and increase fatigue, making workplace........

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