Sunak criticised for lack of planning as 2,000 properties flooded by Storm Henk
The Government was accused of failing to plan for extreme weather as a minister confirmed 2,000 properties have been flooded in the wake of Storm Henk.
Environment minister Robbie Moore described Storm Henk as a âsevere weather incidentâ and told MPs he had seen âfirst hand the devastating impactâ of the flooding.
As of Monday, âunfortunately 2,000 properties have been floodedâ, Mr Moore told MPs.
He said there was an âimproving picture across the countryâ but assured the Commons the Government was continuing to monitor flood threats.
But Labour criticised the Governmentâs response to flooding and pledged to take pre-emptive action by setting up a flood resilience taskforce to identify and protect vulnerable areas.
And Green Party MP Caroline Lucas challenged ministers on their preventative policies, telling the Commons Mr Mooreâs âthoughts and sympathiesâ for those affected âring hollowâ without a commitment to pursuing greener policies.
She called on ministers to âintroduce the ambitious climate policies that might just protect future flood victimsâ rather than âjust mopping things up at the end of the dayâ.
Defending the Governmentâs record, Mr Moore said it is âtaking reducing our emissions incredibly seriouslyâ.
âBack in 2010, 40 per cent of all energy was produced from coal in this country and now weâre at 1 per cent,â he said.
âCoupled with that, we are taking more proactive measures with increasing the amount of funding we are putting into improving our flood resilience programmes, doubling the amount of funding from ÂŁ2.6bn to ÂŁ5.2bn.â
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Government response to flood risk âwasnât quick enoughâ, adding: âGet ahead of this with a taskforce. Thatâs what I would do.â
Asked if Labour would provide more money for flood prevention, Sir Keir said: âOf course it does need money but the taskforce is not just about money.
âItâs about getting the basics done. Getting those drains cleared. Getting the local authorities together. Having a plan.â
His party would set up a new taskforce that would meet regularly, including ahead of the peak flooding season, to identify potential hotspots and be accountable for building defences, natural flood management schemes and drainage systems.
The taskforce will also provide accountability for progress on flood prevention in areas at risk before floods take place.
Making a statement to the Commons, Mr Moore told MPs: âThe Government began planning for the elevated flood risk as soon as the Met Office forecast indicated an unsettled period of weather over Christmas and the new year.
âThe Environment Agency started planning and preparing in the week before Christmas.â
Labourâs shadow environment secretary Steve Reed criticised the Governmentâs long-term record.
He said: âWhile we canât stop the rain from falling, we can and we should do more to protect communities, businesses and farms from the devastation of flooding.â
Mr Reed added that money allocated for flood defences has yet to be spent in some areas.
But Mr Moore said the Government has âinvested ÂŁ6bn to better protect 600,000 properties from floodingâ since 2010.
In a statement on Monday, the Environment Agency said that as of 10.38am, 149 flood warnings and 149 flood alerts were in place.
Nearly 75,000 properties have been protected from flooding in the last few days but around 2,000 properties have flooded and the impact is likely to continue over the next few days as âlarger rivers respond slowly to the recent rainâ, the agency said.