"We’re sat in our flat as the heat rises, and there is nothing we can do about it."

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This desperate admission, shared by a worried parent with broadcasters, captures a grim new British reality. As extreme heatwaves become our new normal, desperate mothers are spending their hard-earned holiday savings on hotel rooms just to keep their children safe from the sweltering conditions of their own homes.

Tragically, for many, there is no escape. During recent UK heatwaves, an estimated 2,700 excess deaths were reported, predominantly among the elderly and vulnerable.

For decades, campaigns for better housing have been hard-fought. But today, they need to be turned completely on their head. We have spent generations building homes to keep the cold out; now, we must urgently adapt them to survive the heat.

It is time to make it compulsory for every new home to be fitted with cooling systems - such as air conditioning or reversible heat pumps - that guarantee a safe, liveable temperature of 20°C, even on the hottest days. We need a new ‘Cool Rule’ for British........

© LBC