Heat-associated deaths in Britain were estimated to have reached 2,877 during two spells of hot weather in May and June, nearly double the annual total reported for last year, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday.
Heat-related mortality was estimated at 753 deaths during a hot spell from May 24 to 27, followed by another 2,124 deaths linked to a heatwave between June 21 and 28, according to the agency's preliminary assessment. Combined, the toll has already nearly matched the record annual figure reported by the UKHSA in 2022.
The eight-day heatwave in late June prompted the UKHSA to issue a red heat-health alert, only the second time England has reached its highest warning level. The alert underscored the severity of the extreme temperatures experienced during the period.
Rapid early assessment by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during 2 notable periods of hot weather in May and June 2026, almost double the figure reported annually for 2025.
An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the May heat episode between 24 and 27 May and a further 2,124 with the June heatwave between 21 and 28 June. While these figures remain interim, they are already approaching the annual record reported by UKHSA in 2022.
The June heatwave lasted for 8 days and triggered a red heat-health alert. This was only the second time the highest level of alert has been issued in England, reflecting the exceptional temperatures recorded. Both May and June also broke Met Office monthly temperature records for England with 31.5C recorded at Kew Gardens on 26 May and 37.7C recorded at Lingwood, Norfolk on 26 June.
2,877 excess deaths in Britain caused by heatwaves in May, June: public health agency
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday held its first closed-door straw poll voting conducted by its 15 members on the candidates for the next UN secretary-general.
In the non-binding poll, Security Council members are asked in secret ballots whether they "encourage", "discourage" or have "no opinion" on each candidate. The results are not officially released.
A candidate must receive at least nine "encourage" ballots and no "discourage" veto by any of the five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- in order to be recommended by the Security Council and appointed by the UN General Assembly. Zenon Mukongo Ngay, the UN permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of July, said that the next Security Council informal vote will be decided in the coming days and chaired by Denmark which holds the Security Council presidency in August.
"The first round of straw poll has taken place. The candidates will be informed of the results through the respective permanent representatives of nominating member states. The president of the [UN] General Assembly will also be informed that the straw poll has been conducted," Ngay told reporters after the conclusion of the secret vote.
Looking at past cycles, voting will probably run through the summer and finish around late September or early October. The process could drag on even longer if no consensus candidate emerges.
The current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took office in January 2017, and was reelected in 2021. His term ends on December 31 this year. According to the UN Charter, the secretary-general serves a five-year term and is eligible for reelection.
All seven candidates were on the straw poll. They are: Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean president and former UN high commissioner for human rights; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former UN General Assembly president and former foreign minister and defense minister of Ecuador; Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, current director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebeca Grynspan, former vice president of Costa Rica and current secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development; Olara Otunnu of Uganda, former UN under-secretary-general; Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Guyana's permanent representative to the United Nations, and Macky Sall, former president of Senegal.
UN Security Council holds straw poll on secretary-general candidates
