Burnham chairs emergency Cobra meeting as UK faces extreme heat and wildfire risks

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on August 12, 2026, in response to extreme heat conditions that have caused wildfires and drought across the UK. During the meeting, Burnham urged retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues, citing the high risk of wildfires during the current spell of extremely dry weather. He stated that the public should not be using single-use grills "at this moment in time" and confirmed that a ban on disposable BBQs is under consideration. The PM warned that the extreme heat conditions "could be with us for some time yet," with temperatures forecast to reach 33C on Wednesday and up to 38C on Thursday.