Sir Keir Starmer’s government has drawn up plans to deal with extreme weather this winter after devastating floods in Spain.

Cross-government work will ensure “we are domestically as resilient as possible”, Downing Street said.

Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband highlighted warnings that 600,000 people in the UK could be at risk of flooding in the future due to climate change.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, led the briefing on winter preparations, adding that “recent events in Spain have been a reminder of the impact extreme weather can have on local communities”.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We’re always preparing for all eventualities, whether it’s the impact of extreme weather or the impact on the NHS.”

“Devastating Scenes”

The discussion on winter preparations, which also included an update from Health Secretary Wes Streeting on NHS preparedness, followed an update from Sir Keir and Mr Miliband on the upcoming COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan.

The spokesman said: “The link has been made to the fact that climate change can lead to extreme weather events. We obviously saw these very devastating scenes in Spain”.

More than 200 people have been killed in Spain following floods around Valencia.