In the past four months, bushfires in Australia have killed at least 25 people and displaced thousands more, with over 1,900 homes destroyed. Millions more people have been affected by poor air quality as a result of fire smoke as some ten million acres of land have burned. The environmental impact of the bushfires is staggering – it is estimated that up to one billion animals may have perished.

The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Commonwealth, the UN and South Asia have been in contact with their Australian counterparts to offer our condolences and support. An expert support and assessment team of UK defence, health and fire specialists is set for deployment in the coming days. The team will work with Australian colleagues to determine how best to support the response effort. The Minister also confirmed that support is being given to any British nationals and tourists who have been affected.

My thoughts are with our Australian friends who have lost their homes, jobs, communities and, in some tragic cases, their lives as a result of the fires. What we have seen in recent weeks has been nothing short of a catastrophe and I offer my profound sympathy and solidarity for what they are going through.

When the fires are finally extinguished, we need to discuss the underlying causes of these unprecedented events. We must take urgent collective action to stop our world reaching the point of no return on global warming, where events such as those currently taking place in Australia become the new normal. I believe the UK must lead the way in a green revolution, helping countries around the world to move rapidly towards a zero-carbon economy and in the process, creating millions of new jobs.