Stephen Morgan MP has joined the 2026 “Float to Live” drowning prevention campaign led by the Royal National Lifeguard Institute (RNLI), intended to educate the public he on how to survive in water emergencies.
Through informational digital content, like social media graphics and video advertisements, this campaign raises awareness of a simple and effective technique to prevent drowning, instructing those struggling in water to:
- “Tilt your head back with ears submerged”
- “Relax and move your hands to help you stay afloat”
The University of Portsmouth has been a crucial supporter and contributor to this campaign, along with the RNLI’s other drowning prevention efforts, over the years.
In 2018 and 2022, practical float trials were conducted by the university’s Extreme Environments Laboratory to determine the most effective floating advice, recreating real-life scenarios with participants covering a range of floating confidence levels in both salt and fresh, still and moving open water environments.
Mr Morgan’s support for this campaign follows reporting that over 200 people died in accidental drowning incidents across the UK in 2025, with the summer months having the highest levels of deaths across the year. This demonstrates that warmer weather can lead to higher drowning deaths due to drawing more people to water.
That is why the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has formally recognised the link between hot weather and drowning risk by including an explicit warning that “water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning” within their heat alerts.
Mr Morgan has previously given his support to drowning prevention efforts, encouraging improved water safety in Portsmouth alongside local-born Olympic swimmer Katy Sexton MBE, who co-created The Gogglehedz book series which educates young children and their parents about the dangers of being around water.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“As an island city, Portsmouth people will understand not only the dangers of being around water but also the importance of knowing how to survive if we do find ourselves in a water emergency.
“These summer months are unfortunately accompanied by higher numbers drowning deaths as more people are drawn to water. The RNLI’s Float to Live campaign is crucial to ensuring that everyone is well-equipped to enjoy our beaches and waters safely.
“I pay tribute to the University of Portsmouth for their own crucial contributions to this lifesaving nationwide campaign over the years and am calling on Portsmouth people in joining me in sharing this campaign however they can to reach as many as possible.”
Professor Tipton, NWSF Chair and co-founder of the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments & Occupational Performance Research Group, said:
“Over 8,000 years of life were again tragically lost in 2025. Behind each drowning is a family devastated by a death that, in many cases, was preventable.
“The inclusion of drowning risk in official UKHSA heat alerts represents a significant and hard-won policy change – one that illustrates precisely what can be achieved when research, campaigning and government work together.”
