British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday was accused of not taking an impending heat emergency seriously after he missed a crisis meeting of his cabinet.
Johnson, who is due to step down in September, took a weekend break at his Chequers country retreat, west of London, and prepared to host a farewell party.
Forecasters have warned that temperatures in parts of the UK could surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time next week. Elsewhere in Europe,