Amid UK's record-breaking Celsius swelter, heat on Tories to reverse AC ban

TOI correspondent from London: Britain's record-breaking May heatwave has raised political temperatures too as the Conservatives pledge to reverse national net-zero building regulations banning air-conditioning in new homes, going back on rules introduced by their party during Boris Johnson's premiership.

"Why should Britain be one of the only countries to not have air-conditioning? The next Conservative govt will get rid of the anti-growth air-con ban," Goan-heritage MP Claire Coutinho, UK's shadow energy secretary, said.

On Tuesday, the UK saw the record for the hottest May temperature broken for the second day in a row, hitting 35 degrees Celsius. The sweltering heat, made worse by the absence of cooling in 95% of British homes, immediately triggered a debate over the prudence of the net-zero regulations devised by Robert Jenrick when he was housing secretary in Jan 2021.

The Tories, seemingly wiser for the experience, said they would overturn Jenrick's regulations – he has since defected to Reform UK – pointing out that air-conditioning was widespread in countries such as the UAE, Singapore and the US and yet only 5% of households in the UK had it. High indoor temperatures affect children's learning, work productivity and sleep, they said.

These regulations enshrined a preference for passive cooling, which entails open windows, shutters, and cross-ventilation. Builders who want to install air-conditioning are required to first demonstrate to a designated body that every passive alternative has been tried and found unsuitable.

In Sept 2025, the Labour govt stated that air-conditioning was "not a desirable or financially efficient solution due to the energy it consumes", and that widespread adoption would strain the national grid and slow down progress towards the UK's 2050 net-zero target.

Net zero refers to a state in which greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan's 2021 London Plan effectively bans air-conditioning, declaring it "not desirable" and permitting it only where deemed unavoidable.

Sir James Cleverly, shadow housing secretary, said the Conservatives would use national powers to override anti-air conditioning local plans.

Catch all LIVE updates on the US-Iran conflict here.