The public will be told to take “small but important steps” to prepare for food or water shortages in the event of a cyber-attack or severe weather, the government has announced as it unveiled sweeping updates to the national risk register.
Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones told Parliament that a nationwide public awareness campaign would be launched later this year, urging households to secure power supplies and phone signal against disruption. The move comes after scientists warned that human-driven climate change supercharged a June heatwave that killed an estimated 440 people a day during its three-day peak.
“Government to launch campaign urging public to prepare for cyber-attacks and severe weather with small steps.”
Jones also confirmed that the government would hold the “largest UK home defence exercise in several decades” next year – Operation Albiston Shadow – to test the country’s ability to respond to hybrid attacks. The classified crisis plans, known as ‘war books’, will be tested over several days.
The national risk register, which now lists 95 acute threats, has been updated with seven new risks including cyber-attacks on water infrastructure and a “digital resilience failure” scenario modelled on the global CrowdStrike outage that crippled more than eight million computers. The threat of foreign interference in UK democracy, and cyber-attacks on data infrastructure and police systems, have also been added. The only risk removed was that of disruption to Russian gas supplies, “reflecting that the UK has reduced its reliance on Russian gas”.
“Throughout our history, the UK has overcome challenges, from plagues and pandemics to war, and our fair share of wet weather,” Jones said. “It is right that we consistently evaluate the risks we could face and plan for what may come. This year we saw temperatures across the UK breaking records in May, only to be exceeded again in June, and AI offers new ways for criminals to carry out cyber-attacks against us.”
The announcement follows a warning in May from the National Preparedness Commission that Britain’s vital supply chains were unprepared for a major shock such as a war with Russia, and that bold steps were needed to catch up with “worst-case scenario” planning by European states. Jones acknowledged that “the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated” and warned of “significant and prolonged disruption to essential services” from extreme weather.
The campaign will build on existing government advice, but Jones said the public can “all play our part to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe”. With the exercise looming and the register expanded, the message is clear: prepare now, before the next crisis hits.
