During record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, presenters on British news channels GB News and Talk TV expressed skepticism about heat-related health risks and climate change concerns. Host Cristo Foufas dismissed warnings about heat dangers, suggesting people simply drink water, while medical doctor co-host Renée Hoenderkamp characterized heat deaths through a Darwinian lens. Similar dismissive commentary appeared on Talk TV, with presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer stating in late June that heat deaths should not justify changes to daily life, and Kevin O’Sullivan criticizing what he termed “hysterical hysteria” over climate change.
When initial analysis suggested approximately 2,700 heat-related deaths had occurred during the May and June heatwaves, published on 13 July, several presenters attacked the methodology. O’Sullivan called the figures “climate change scaremongering” and “absolute poppycock,” while GB News contributor Will Kingston compared mortality modeling to guesswork with ideological motivations. Some commentators, including Ross Clark on Talk TV, suggested that elderly and infirm individuals who died may have been near death regardless of the heat.
Actual mortality data released on 30 July by the UK Health Security Agency confirmed 2,877 deaths during those heatwaves. More recent statistics showed 2,805 heat-related deaths in England and Wales in 2025 compared with 2,244 cold-related deaths, contradicting arguments that winter cold posed a greater threat. Despite these figures, some presenters continued attributing responsibility for heat deaths to climate policies rather than warming temperatures.
Beyond death statistics, both channels aired various claims questioning climate science fundamentals. Presenters characterized climate change as a “scam,” attributed warming to solar activity, and made factually incorrect statements about atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. When visual weather forecasts were displayed with intensified color coding during extreme temperatures, some hosts suggested this represented a “psyops operation” by climate advocates, though evidence for such coordination was not provided.
Scientific consensus, endorsed by 192 national governments, indicates that human emissions have caused substantially all global heating since 1950, with heatwaves becoming more intense and frequent as a result. Recent research in the Lancet estimated that rising global heat kills approximately one person per minute worldwide.
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