Risk of democratic interference added to National Risk Register
Interference in democratic process and cyber attacks have been added to the National Risk Register
- Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister tells Parliament the speed of climate change and AI evolution demand our attention, as an updated National Risk Register is published following another heatwave.
- A national public awareness campaign will be launched to help the public prepare for emergencies like extreme weather and cyber attacks.
- Local and regional Mayors will have a formalised role responding to local and national emergencies, under plans being consulted on from today.
The National Risk Register has been updated today, as the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister updates Parliament in his Annual Resilience Statement.
The risk of interference in the UK’s democratic process has been added to the national risk register. It follows the announcement of new measures last week to safeguard our democracy, including tougher checks on company donations and a cap on overseas donations.
The National Risk Register is the government’s assessment of the most significant risks facing the UK and is a public facing version of the National Security Risk Assessment. It is a planning tool designed to help professionals prepare for risks and is not intended to be a prediction of future events.
In total, seven new risks have been added to the National Risk Register, including the risk of cyber attacks on data infrastructure, water infrastructure and police systems, amid a rapid increase in the sophistication and proliferation of artificial intelligence. ’Digital resilience failure’ is another new addition, building on lessons learnt from the Crowdstrike IT outage in July 2024. The threat of disruption to Russian gas supplies has been removed from the National Risk Register, reflecting that the UK has reduced its reliance on Russian gas.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has also announced that the government will launch a landmark national resilience campaign later this year, to encourage the public to take simple steps to improve their household’s resilience to risks like cyber attacks, flooding or severe weather.
The campaign will build on existing guidance on GOV.UK Prepare and will bring the UK in line with European peers, most of which run similar campaigns already, including providing new resources for schools and colleges, ensuring people of all ages can learn how to stay safe in an emergency.
Regional mayors will also be empowered to play a broader role in local resilience, alongside existing structures like Local Resilience Forums, under plans being explored in a consultation over the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Overall, the Act is thought to be fit for purpose, and the consultation fulfils a democratic duty to carry out regular reviews of the Act.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said:
Throughout our history, the UK has overcome challenges from plagues and pandemics to war and our fair share of wet weather. 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, as well as offering huge opportunities for our economy and security.
The government will do all it can and we are well prepared – but we can all play our part to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
This campaign will help the public to take small but important steps to be prepared in case of emergencies and disruption – be that severe weather or a cyber-attack, which can impact access to power, water, or phone signal.
Being prepared not only helps people keep themselves and their family safe, but also means the emergency services can focus on helping the most vulnerable in communities.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has also announced that the UK’s Home Defence Programme will deliver the largest UK home defence exercise in decades in 2027. Ministers, as well as hundreds of officials from across government and the public sector, are likely to take part in the exercise named Operation ALBISTON SHADOW.
While the precise scenario will remain classified, the multi-day exercise will test government preparedness for hybrid attacks against the UK. The exercise will complement NATO’s own forthcoming exercise known as CMX27. Both drills will help to ensure UK alignment with NATO allies and partners against a backdrop of rising threats.
Under the Home Defence Programme, classified government crisis plans, commonly known as the “War Books” are also being updated, which was last done in 2004. These documents, coordinated by the Cabinet Office, help departments plan to respond to threats against the UK.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister also championed the progress the government has made delivering the UK’s 2023 Biological Security Strategy. Departments are on-track to deliver all medium-term commitments on-time by 2028, including the publication of a new Pandemic Preparedness Strategy backed by around £1 billion in health protection measures, as well as the delivery of a new Network of National Biosecurity Centres backed by £1.83 billion in funding.
Louise Sandher-Jones MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, said:
We increase the chances of conflict by not being ready – fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Today’s announcement is a clear demonstration of how we are working across Government, with the military, government departments, agencies, and the whole of society, to strengthen Britain’s homeland defence and resilience.
Russia is not only a threat to NATO’s eastern flank. It is a direct threat to the UK homeland and these exercises, together with important measures like updating our ‘War Books’, will help prepare us to meet that threat, as well as showing the British public how seriously we are taking it.
Professor Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said:
Being prepared for emergencies is something we should all work towards. The science is clear that taking simple, practical steps in advance can strengthen our collective resilience and help keep people safe if disruption occurs.
Mhairi Sharp, CEO, National Emergencies Trust, said:
The National Emergencies Trust welcomes the Government’s commitment to delivering a public resilience campaign. This is a significant opportunity to strengthen preparedness across the country, helping people and communities build the knowledge, confidence and resilience they need to prepare for emergencies before they happen.
The National Emergencies Trust looks forward to working with the Government and partners to support the campaign’s successful delivery and maximise its impact.
Laura Scott, British Red Cross Director for UK Resilience, said:
We can’t control when emergencies happen, but we can all take some simple steps to be prepared, so that when they do, we are ready to help our friends, families and neighbours.
We know from our work across the UK that local people know their communities best and want to play a part when a crisis happens. Having clear and trusted advice for people, especially those who may be more at-risk, could help reduce the impact of crises and even save lives.