LFI MP Clouet Attacks Government Over Heatwave

Paris – 15/07/2026: Hadrien Clouet, an MP for La France insoumise, has accused the French government of serious failings in the face of the ongoing heatwave. In an interview with Franceinfo, the parliamentarian for Haute-Garonne said that the government’s actions had in no way matched the scale of the challenges. His statement was aimed above all at what he sees as insufficient preparation for particularly vulnerable population groups and workers.

The criticism comes at a time when the state has already expanded its crisis management. Two weeks ago, the Health Ministry activated the third stage of its national ORSAN EPI-CLIM plan and made an additional 100 million euros available. The measure is intended to safeguard medical care in the hardest-hit areas, support care facilities and strengthen protection for elderly people and those with chronic illnesses.

The Environment Ministry had also announced an intensified mobilisation of its services on 6 July. In addition to the immediate health risks, the focus is on the consequences of heat and drought for water resources, agriculture, transport and energy supplies. The government justifies its approach by arguing that periods of extreme heat are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change and must be permanently integrated into state risk-prevention planning.

Clouet’s objection is therefore aimed less at the complete absence of state instruments than at their scope and timing. For the left-wing opposition, the social issue is particularly central: people living in poorly insulated homes, outdoor workers and residents of densely built-up neighbourhoods are not exposed to heat in the same way as households with cooled living spaces or access to green areas. Heat policy is thus increasingly becoming an arena for social distribution conflicts.

The MP represents Haute-Garonne’s first constituency in the National Assembly. His intervention linked climate policy to a second issue of a different institutional nature: the formal vote scheduled for 15 July on the bill establishing a right to assistance in dying. Following repeated readings between the National Assembly and the Senate, the legislative proposal has once again reached the decisive parliamentary stage.

The Senate last rejected the proposal in early July, leaving the National Assembly with the final say. Under strict conditions, the text provides access to a lethal substance for adults with serious and incurable illnesses. The measure announced on 26 May 2026 to expand palliative care remains separate from it.

Both issues illustrate the political situation on 15 July: the government is simultaneously under pressure to credibly organise immediate protective duties during a heatwave and to bring an ethically particularly sensitive social reform through parliament. Clouet’s criticism reflects the position of La France insoumise, which assesses state climate adaptation above all by its concrete social protective impact.