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 “severe weather incident” and told MPs he had seen “first hand the devastating impact” of the flooding.

As of Monday, “unfortunately 2,000 properties have been flooded”, Mr Moore told MPs.

He said there was an “improving picture across the country” but assured the Commons the Government was continuing to monitor flood threats.

But Labour criticised the Government’s 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 Moore’s “thoughts and sympathies” for those affected “ring hollow” without a commitment to pursuing greener policies.

She called on ministers to “introduce the ambitious climate policies that might just protect future flood victims” rather than “just mopping things up at the end of the day”.

Defending the Government’s record, Mr Moore said it is “taking reducing our emissions incredibly seriously”.

“Back in 2010, 40 per cent of all energy was produced from coal in this country and now we’re at 1 per cent,” he said.

“Coupled 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 £2.6bn to £5.2bn.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Government response to flood risk “wasn’t quick enough”, adding: “Get ahead of this with a taskforce. That’s what I would do.”

Related Article

Asked if Labour would provide more money for flood prevention, Sir Keir said: “Of course it does need money but the taskforce is not just about money.

“It’s about getting the basics done. Getting those drains cleared. Getting the local authorities together. Having a plan.”

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: “The 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.

“The Environment Agency started planning and preparing in the week before Christmas.”

Labour’s shadow environment secretary Steve Reed criticised the Government’s long-term record.

He said: “While we can’t stop the rain from falling, we can and we should do more to protect communities, businesses and farms from the devastation of flooding.”

Mr Reed added that money allocated for flood defences has yet to be spent in some areas.

But Mr Moore said the Government has “invested £6bn to better protect 600,000 properties from flooding” 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 “larger rivers respond slowly to the recent rain”, the agency said.