Andy Burnham issues update on wood and log burners rules

Now that he is Prime Minister, any rulings on such changes will rest with Mr Burnham. The Makerfield MP inherits a country that just experienced its fifth heatwave of a long, sweltering summer.

The previous government, under Sir Keir Starmer, considered tougher restrictions on wood-burning stoves, encompassing stricter emissions limits for new appliances, warning labels and increased fines of up to £2,000 for businesses selling wet wood.

However, all decisions will now be down to Mr Burnham, given that he has succeeded Sir Keir. In a statement on July 29, following Mr Burnham’s appointment as PM, a government spokesperson told Country Living: “We are committed to improving air quality to benefit public health, the environment and the economy.

“As part of this drive, we have recently consulted on proposals to limit emissions from all new wood burning stoves.”

“It is important to note that our proposed policies will not require anyone to remove or replace their existing appliance.

“As the prime minister tours every region of the UK, it will be hard to miss the impacts of this extraordinary summer: wildfires, drought, parched farmland and people struggling to work in extreme heat,” said Emma Howard Boyd, the former head of the Environment Agency who is now a professor in practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

She went on to urge Burnham’s government to “act with urgency” in tackling the climate crisis.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, declared it was high time for Burnham to “end his silence on the climate emergency”.

The remarks come just days after Green party leader Zack Polanski delivered his “reality check”.