Lord Botham has raised concerns about the escalating risk of wildfires in the UK, attributing the increase to government environmental policies that he claims promote "rewilding zealots" and hinder effective land management. He specifically criticizes the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for reducing livestock numbers in upland areas and blocking traditional winter burning of moorlands, which he argues leads to an accumulation of excess vegetation.
According to Botham, this excess vegetation, particularly in the form of highly flammable grass and dead heather, acts as tinder during hot summers. He cites figures suggesting a six-fold increase in land burnt by wildfires in the UK over the last decade, rising from 24,805 hectares between 2006 and 2015 to 151,954 hectares between 2016 and 2025. These figures contrast with Defra's position that rewilding helps reduce wildfires.
Botham contends that Defra's policies, including a near-total ban on winter burning, are scientifically questionable and are not universally applied, noting that peat in the South and East of England is not covered by the ban. He asserts that research from institutions like York University indicates that winter burns do not dry out peat and can even make the soil wetter by reducing vegetation cover. Furthermore, he points to a study from Exeter that suggests peat survives wildfires better on areas with vegetation kept short by winter burns.
The author also alleges that Defra's evidence for its burning ban is flawed, citing Freedom of Information requests that reportedly revealed reviewers of a key Natural England paper had not fully read or understood its content. He contrasts this with Defra's declaration of the evidence as "rigorous."
Botham suggests that the resistance to winter burning is partly driven by a dislike of game shooting on northern moors by organizations like the RSPB, which he claims are in favor of rewilding. He argues that gamekeepers play a role in protecting bird populations, citing increases in black grouse and curlews on managed moorland. Conversely, he notes a reported decline in black grouse numbers on RSPB reserves, despite the charity's rewilding focus, and points out that RSPB reserves have themselves experienced significant wildfires requiring professional firefighting.
He directly addresses Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, urging him to reconsider his stance on land management and preventative burning. With the upland burning season beginning on October 1, Botham suggests Burnham has a critical decision to make about whether to allow these practices or risk another season of increased wildfire danger due to unchecked vegetation growth. Botham poses a rhetorical question about whether Burnham will side with perceived "Whitehall Blob" policies or support the North, and whether his legacy will be one of further rural depopulation and environmental damage.
The article references an incident two weeks prior to its publication where 19 homes were destroyed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, due to wildfires. It also mentions the use of the UK's emergency mobile phone alarm system by Burnham during a period of high wildfire risk, an action Botham characterizes as an "empty gesture."