London tipped to sizzle in scorching 45C weather in the future, Sadiq Khan warns

London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that London could face 45C weather in the future at a climate summit.

Speaking in New York City, Mr Khan said London faces the “incredibly worrying” prospect of experiencing multiple 45C days in the years to come.

Mr Khan said the temperatures could rise so high that they put major parts of the city, including the Underground, under threat.

He said the Underground was “not fit for purpose” and some homes “are too hot in the daytime”.

Mr Khan’s comments come after a summer of extreme weather events around the world, including an autumnal heatwave in the UK which saw temperatures rise above 30C.

Mr Khan said: “It means we have to adapt for those temperatures now. It’s now time for those who are delaying action to wake up and smell the coffee because this is happening now. It’s now and it’s happening to us.”

Mr Khan added that while he had planted more trees and put air conditioning on buses, more work was needed by the Government to help the UK’s cities adapt to a warmer future.

He said: “We are learning expertise from other cities but we can’t pretend we aren’t behind because the UK has been slow catching up.”

Mr Khan explained: “You’ve got to listen to genuine concerns people have and try to address them, at the same time be cognisant that there’s a vocal minority backed by vested interests that are opposing stuff.

“Cities have got to incentivise policies that encourage people to use alternatives to the car.

“I understand the reasons New York wants to do this, what they will need to do is make sure they have alternatives in place.”