Wildfires in Rhodes are a “wake-up call” on the effects of the climate crisis, a UK government minister has said, as empty planes were sent to the Greek island to help bring home stranded Britons. After a mass evacuation from parts of Rhodes, members of the House of Lords were told the situation was “stabilising” and there was no immediate need for the government to advise people to stop travelling there. There had been calls for the Foreign Office to change its travel guidance to put Rhodes on the “red list” – to advise against all unnecessary trips and allow some of those who no longer wished to go to claim the money back on their insurance policy.
However, Patrick Courtown, the deputy chief whip in the House of Lords, did not indicate there were plans to do so but suggested the travel advice remained under constant review. The Lords minister was confident the situation was improving but added: “It is also a wake-up call as far as climate change is concerned, and it is essential that the world recognises this.” The Earl of Courtown’s comments were made in the House of Lords, which is still sitting though the Commons broke up for the summer recess last week.
The earl said there were no plans for a UK-backed evacuation, as commercial flights were still taking place and the main airport was operating normally. Six staff from the Foreign Office (FCDO) and four British Red Cross workers were at the airport to help travellers, he said. Other peers said unless the Foreign Office changed its travel advice, many Britons with holidays coming up would not be able to cancel them and receive refunds, at a time when budgets were strained amid the cost of living crisis. Courtown said: “The FCDO travel advice should not impact people’s ability to claim insurance for things like cancelled hotel bookings or flight changes, depending on their policy and level of cover. We recognise, however, there are some travel companies that do use FCDO advice as a reference point to policies.
“Our travel advice is focused on ensuring the safety of British nationals and is designed to give people the detail they need to make an informed decision. Our travel advice is always under review.” The earl said some airlines had sent empty flights to Rhodes to collect passengers more quickly and more were expected to follow. A government source indicated there were wider factors at play regarding the decision not to formally advise against travel. They said doing so would have a significant impact on the Greek economy, given the large influx of British tourists that travelled to Greece in the summer, potentially straining diplomatic relations with Athens. Temperatures in Greece were expected to reach 46C (115F) in some areas on Tuesday as weather models suggested the heatwave in the country would be the longest on record.