Tory ministers have defended their planning for the heatwave gripping Britain - as it was revealed party members still rate climate change as their lowest priority. 

As the country prepares to grind to a halt thanks to temperatures that could hit 41C (106F), Kit Malthouse insisted the Government was ready.

However he admitted that lessons would be learnt - as he advised people to 'take it easy' over the next few days. 

It came as a new poll found that just four per cent of Conservative Party members rate the 2050 Net Zero emissions target one of their top three priorities for the new leader.

The survey by YouGov for the Times found that winning the next election, controlling immigration and easing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families came top of the list. 

It came after the Cabinet minister who led last year's landmark UN climate change summit in Glasgow has indicated he could resign if the next prime minister is not fully committed to the Net Zero agenda.

Cop26 president Alok Sharma said some of the remaining candidates in the Tory leadership race had been only 'lukewarm' towards climate commitments.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Mr Malthouse today defended Boris Johnson's decision not to attend a Cobra meeting on the heatwave and instead spend the weekend having a party at Chequers. 

He  told Sky News: 'It's my job to chair Cobra meetings.

I briefed him yesterday morning at about 8am personally.'