Top MPs say schools must not close tomorrow or Tuesday as forecasters warn people should stay indoors and extreme heat will sweep the country.

According to weather forecasters and experts, this coming week will see the UK's first red extreme heat warning as temperatures soar towards 40C for the first time on record. Meteorologists have given an 80 per cent chance of the mercury topping the UK's record of 38.7C, set in Cambridge in 2019.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said Britons should be resilient enough to 'enjoy the sunshine' over the coming days as MPs doubled down on advice warning schools not to close.

The country is bracing for searing heat as an amber heat warning comes into effect today - before the first-ever red warning for extreme heat is implemented tomorrow.

'Furnace Britain' will be hotter than Delhi and the Sahara Desert on Monday with experts predicting the mercury could reach 41C – double the UK summer average.

Yesterday, Ministers held a Cobra meeting to discuss the health effects of the heatwave after a national emergency was declared – but warned schools not to close.

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson today said children should be in school despite the emergency, telling Sophy Ridge On Sunday on Sky News: 'I think children have missed out quite a lot already in terms of their education and it's right for them to be there.'