Britain's Wildfire Crisis

Motion as passed by Conference

Submitted by: Young Liberals 
Mover: Pippa Heylings MP (Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Summation: Abrial Jerrman

Conference notes with alarm:

1. The Met Office confirmed that Summer 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, with five widespread heatwaves, 40 days of temperatures above 30°C and the most wildfires ever recorded.
2. England and Wales each recorded their driest July on record in 2026.
3. Fire and rescue services attended 458 wildfires in England and Wales in July, the highest in any month on record.
4. The wildfire at Dunwich Heath devastated 90% of its nationally important ancient heathland, burning underground seedbanks vital for regrowth, whilst 19 houses in Stourbridge were destroyed in August, with major incidents elsewhere destroying homes and forcing evacuations.
5. Recent analysis by Ordnance Survey found that 1.8 million homes in Britain are exposed to increasing risk from wildfires which are no longer confined to remote areas.
6. The Climate Change Committee’s May 2026 Report, ‘A Well Adapted UK’, warns that by 2050, the number of high fire risk days could double compared to the late-20th-century average and the wildfire season will extend into late summer and early autumn.
7. The Government is belatedly convening a wildfire summit but has failed to publish a Wildfire Action Plan for England despite repeated warnings from fire and rescue services about escalating risk.

Conference thanks firefighters, control-room staff, land managers, volunteers, armed forces personnel and communities who responded to this summer’s fires and heatwaves with extraordinary dedication and selflessness.

Conference believes that:

1. Climate change is making the hot, dry conditions in which severe wildfires spread, more frequent and intense, and that this summer’s disasters are a direct consequence of decades of inadequate climate action.
2. Emergency responses, long-term adaptation and rapid reductions in greenhouse gases are all necessary and that we must reject any false choice between them.
3. One-off emergency measures must be replaced with sustained investment in prevention, resilience and a just transition.
4. Nature-based solutions including peatland restoration, rewetting and sustainable land management are essential tools for reducing wildfire risk.

Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to net zero by 2050 and to a comprehensive UK climate resilience and adaptation strategy.

Conference calls on the Government to:

1. Publish and fund a Wildfire Action Plan for England by spring 2027, with clear, measurable targets.
2. Establish permanent, nationally deployable specialist wildfire capability with common training and modern equipment including off-road vehicles, drones, water carriers and high-volume pumps, along with aerial support as necessary.
3. Require fire and rescue authorities in high-risk areas to maintain multi-agency wildfire plans which take account of access routes, water sources, vulnerable communities and evacuation arrangements.
4. Increase the farming budget by £1 billion and develop a wildfire prevention plan to allow for evidence-based land management and nature-based solutions, such as peatland restoration, rewetting, farm reservoirs, grazing, removal of excess vegetation and firebreaks.
5. Develop a wildfire danger-rating system along with proportionate temporary restrictions when risk is very high or extreme, such as on the use and sale of disposable barbecues and the use of fireworks.

Applicability: England