How the UK Plans to Prepare for Emergencies and Attacks

The government is highlighting risks to vital services, while proposed measures focus in part on protecting undersea cables and pipelines.

Safety & RecallsOctober 22, 20263 min readHow Sureno writes this

The short version

Wes Streeting says the UK should prepare for hostile actions against everyday infrastructure, as well as natural emergencies such as flooding and wildfires. ¹
He described risks including cyber-attacks that could disrupt business payment systems or interrupt supply chains. ¹
Separate government proposals would give ministers powers during national security emergencies and increase penalties for damaging undersea cables or energy pipelines. ²
The reports do not provide a public checklist, a timetable for the proposed powers, or detailed instructions for households. ¹²

What did Wes Streeting warn the UK to prepare for?

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has called for the UK to prepare for hostile acts that could disrupt infrastructure used in everyday life. He raised the issue while speaking at a tank gun barrel factory in Telford, and said public discussion should include risks that fall short of open warfare. ¹

Examples in the report include cyber-attacks that could disrupt payment systems used by businesses or cause supply chains to fail. Streeting also mentioned natural hazards, including flooding and wildfires. ¹

What does hybrid warfare mean here?

Hybrid warfare is a term for hostile activity that uses methods such as sabotage or cyber-attacks without becoming an outright war. In this context, the concern is that an attack could interfere with services or infrastructure that people and businesses rely on. ¹

The Guardian report describes growing concern in Europe about sabotage linked to hostile states, particularly Russia. It does not establish that any specific incident was carried out by a particular state. ¹

What is the UK doing to protect undersea cables?

The government has outlined proposed measures to protect undersea internet cables. During national security emergencies, ministers could direct telecoms companies to switch off or withdraw services. Officials would also be able to enter sites such as cable landing stations. ²

The plans include tougher criminal penalties for people convicted of tampering with undersea cables or energy pipelines. The BBC reports proposed maximum prison terms of 14 years for deliberate acts, 10 years for reckless conduct and two years for gross negligence, as well as unlimited fines. ²

Why do these cables and pipelines matter?

Undersea links carry important services between countries. The BBC reports that cables and pipelines, largely run by private companies, are believed to carry nearly all UK international data traffic and around three-quarters of its gas supplies. ²

The government says it is considering stronger protections amid concerns about suspicious activity in UK waters. The BBC also reports concerns that existing legal powers may not match the infrastructure's growing importance. ²

What could this mean for the public?

The stated aim is to improve resilience: the ability of services and communities to cope with disruption and respond to emergencies. A cyber incident or damaged infrastructure could affect services, but the reports do not say that a particular disruption is imminent. ¹²

Streeting's remarks encourage discussion of preparation for hostile acts as well as natural hazards. The available reports do not give household instructions, describe a public alert system, or set out a nationwide checklist. ¹

What we don't know yet

The reports do not give a timetable for when the proposed undersea infrastructure powers would take effect. ²
They do not explain the detailed procedures or safeguards for ministers directing telecoms services to be withdrawn or switched off. ²
Streeting's reported remarks do not include a household checklist or details of a nationwide public preparedness campaign. ¹

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Questions people ask

What emergencies does the UK need to prepare for?

Streeting cited hostile actions against infrastructure, cyber-attacks, flooding and wildfires. His examples cover both human-caused disruption and natural hazards. ¹

Could a cyber-attack affect payments in the UK?

Streeting said people should consider cyber-attacks that might interrupt business payment systems. The report presents this as a risk to prepare for, not as a current outage. ¹

What powers are planned to protect UK undersea cables?

The government has outlined plans that would let ministers direct telecoms companies to withdraw or switch off services during national security emergencies. Officials would also be able to access sites such as cable landing stations. ²

What are the proposed penalties for damaging undersea cables?

The BBC reports proposed prison terms of up to 14 years for deliberate conduct, 10 years for reckless conduct and two years for gross negligence. Unlimited fines are also included in the plans. ²

Has the government issued new instructions for households?

The reports do not provide a household checklist or detailed response instructions. Streeting called for a national conversation about resilience that includes hostile acts and natural emergencies. ¹

Sources

UK must prepare for infrastructure attacks by hostile states, says Streeting — the Guardian, 2026-10-22
Emergency powers planned to protect UK's undersea cables — BBC News

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