Weather is currently a very political issue, and any unpreparedness for the effects of climate change fuels public anger.

Inadequate preparation for the effects of climate change, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) claim, risks losing votes on the left and right.

Failure to adapt to escalating extreme weather is leaving space for extremist politics to exploit public anger, with the think tank warning that failing to address the immediate impacts of climate change, alongside its causes, risks losing centralist political ground while also losing support from voters across the spectrum who expect stronger action both now and in the future.

The analysis argues that this lack of preparedness will increasingly shape Britain’s political landscape. When institutions fail to anticipate or manage extreme weather, public anger accelerates, creating opportunities for extremists to frame events as proof of state incompetence, a pattern already seen in places such as California and Valencia.

The report includes new polling by Persuasion UK, that reveals 81 per cent of voters believe the country is unprepared for climate impacts, and this holds across the voting spectrum, including 83 per cent of Labour’s 2024 voters and 84 per cent of Reform’s 2024 voters.

Despite this, 59 per cent of all voters think it is “not yet too late to avoid the worst impacts of climate change”. The public also backs tackling both the causes and impacts of climate change together. Only 5 per cent prioritise adaptation alone, while 54 per cent support pursuing adaptation and mitigation together.

Researchers argue that this creates a clear political mandate for a dual approach: protecting people from climate impacts now while continuing to cut emissions to prevent future warming.

In practice, this means policies that make climate action visible in everyday life, such as schools with air conditioning powered by solar panels that allows students to concentrate during extreme heat, and football clubs who can keep their doors open, heat the showers for players and bring down the costs of their floodlight and energy bills because of solar power on their stands.

Sam Alvis, associate director for environment and energy security at IPPR, said: “Extreme weather is no longer just an environmental issue, it is core to government competence. By failing to prepare, communities are left exposed and political credibility is at risk. Without pointing to how extreme weather is making waiting lists longer, or children’s learning harder, those in power will have the blame directed at them."

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