Boris Johnson under attack for response to floods - again
Prime minister faces second month of criticism over his response to the issue

Boris Johnson has been criticised by a raft of politicians for not visiting flood-stricken communities after rivers burst their banks across southern England.
The Met Office has 54 flood warnings and 141 flood alerts in place across the UK, including in the north of England and the Midlands.
Many families may be forced to spend the Christmas period away from their homes after rivers burst their banks in Kent, Cornwall, Sussex and Norfolk.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: “The fact that, once again, the prime minister isn’t even planning to visit flood-hit communities says it all.
“This is a man who is perfectly comfortable weathering the storm from the comfort of his own home, rather than confronting the grim reality that hundreds of people across the UK are having to deal with.”
Johnson, who is spending Christmas with his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, in Downing Street, has no current plans to make any trips to regions of the UK damaged by flooding.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We are working closely with the Environment Agency. The EA is monitoring the rainfall and river levels, and they have crews on the ground already operating defences.”
Simon Greaves, the Labour leader of Bassetlaw council in Nottinghamshire, where nearly 200 homes were badly damaged, said drastic action will be needed to avoid future disasters.
He said: “It would be a scandal if the government response to this crisis is simply devoted to a mopping-up exercise and a grant here and a grant there when actually there are people’s homes that need to be saved from flooding in the future.
“There will be a need for multimillion-pound investment for flood defences without any doubt if we’re going to avoid a catastrophe of the same scale.”
Dan Jarvis, the elected mayor of the Sheffield city region, called on Johnson to establish a “Cobra for the north” that would be chaired by a cabinet minister and leap into action as soon as floods struck.
This is the second time in his premiership that Johnson has been criticised over his response to flooding.
Last month, he was accused of an “utterly outrageous” lack of concern about the severe floods that caused devastation and misery in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Crossword: August 2, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
Parts of California are sinking and affecting sea level
Under the radar Climate change is bringing the land to the sea
-
At least 95 dead in Spain flash floods
Speed Read Torrential rainfall caused the country's worst flooding since 1996
-
Colombo's wetlands: how the 'lungs' of Sri Lanka's capital are being restored
Under the radar The revival of the ecosystems could prove a 'valuable lesson' for the world
-
Hurricane Helene death toll rises, North Carolina reels
Speed Read At least 95 are dead following catastrophic flooding
-
Flooding in Central Europe leaves at least 17 dead
Speed Read Storm Boris hit Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria