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Preparedness for National Emergencies — [Paula Barker in the Chair]
02 June 2026
Lead MP
Graeme Downie
Responding Minister
James Frith
Tags
Social CareBusiness & TradeParliamentary Procedure
Word Count: 9364
Other Contributors: 25
At a Glance
Graeme Downie raised concerns about preparedness for national emergencies — [paula barker in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Downie asks the Minister to specifically say what conversations he is having about the threat of Chinese-manufactured cellular internet of things modules. He also inquires about the role of the Cabinet Office in resolving unclear boundaries between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence regarding hybrid attacks on offshore infrastructure.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Graeme Downie is concerned about the lack of preparedness during Storm Éowyn in January 2025, which left thousands of homes without power for several days. He highlights practical failings such as vulnerable customer data not being shared and confusion over support for care homes. He also points out that current threats are broad and evolving, including cyber-attacks, infrastructure sabotage, supply chain disruption, hybrid threats from hostile states, climate-related events, and health and bio-security emergencies.
Climate breakdown poses significant threats to public safety, including extreme heat, flooding, food scarcity, and infrastructure failures. The UK must enhance climate resilience through a cross-Government approach, with specific measures for flood protection, extreme heat strategy, drought planning, transport, water and energy infrastructure, and farmer-led transition to resilient food production.
Alex Sobel
Lab
Leeds North West
Agility and long-term planning are essential for national emergency preparedness, particularly concerning climate change and artificial intelligence. The UK's ecosystems are at risk of collapse, posing threats to security and prosperity. Legislation is needed to recognise a strategic nature network as infrastructure to restore and maintain key functional ecosystems. A kill switch amendment is proposed for AI emergencies to ensure sovereignty in critical situations.
Alison Taylor
SNP
Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Flight delays due to fuel shortages caused by Middle Eastern events highlight the need for mitigation against such occurrences before they become national emergencies.
Amanda Hack
Con
Leicester North
It was useful to observe the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Resilience Forum test exercise to understand what could go wrong and how it would deal with it.
Ben Spencer
Con
Runnymede and Weybridge
Flood incidents occur annually in Runnymede and Weybridge, often requiring responses from multiple organisations like the local resilience forum, county council, Environment Agency, fire service, and water companies. The lack of coordination leads to a disjointed response, necessitating flood control centres for better management. Will the Minister give way?
Calvin Bailey
Lab
Rhondda
Addresses hospital capacity and supply chains for essential medicines, advocating for better integration of civilian and military medical capabilities and highlighting strategic dependencies on foreign production of antibiotics.
South Devon's community was not prepared when a major A road washed into the sea, leading to severed communities and significant disruption. Better preparation could have prevented this situation.
Edward Morello
Con
Bournemouth East
West Dorset faces an amber wildfire alert due to increased incidents since 2021; the fire service in Dorset and Wiltshire has financial pressures with a loss of one fifth of its workforce and £15 million in savings. Proposals include closing eight on-call fire stations, impacting rural services' sustainability.
Fleur Anderson
Lab
Vauxhall
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the environment, Fleur Anderson discussed the inquiry into national resilience and adaptation. Stakeholders highlighted that the UK is unprepared for climate risks; extreme heat caused nearly 3,000 deaths in 2022, with a projected increase to 10,000 annually by 2050, and flooding costs £2.4 billion yearly.
Gordon McKee
SNP
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Russian hybrid warfare against the UK is understood by defence experts but needs better public understanding. Gordon calls for Government education efforts on this issue.
Dunfermline and West Fife
Proposes a national resilience strategy alongside the national industrial strategy, focusing on key elements such as food, water, waste, health emergency services, construction, housing, transport, logistics, energy production, education, local resilience networks, defence, and military technology.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Effective preparedness training requires well-funded groups, such as those in Northern Ireland, to build grassroots disaster resilience without being hampered by small budgets.
Julie Minns
SNP
Carlisle
Highlighted the potential telecommunications blackout risk due to prolonged power outages caused by severe weather and proposed a fleet of mobile electricity generators for mobile masts.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
Last year saw a significant number of events in the UK and internationally, including economic damage to companies like Jaguar Land Rover and Marks & Spencer. Matt argues for wider resilience measures such as 'go bags' with seven days' provisions.
Maya Ellis
LD
Sutton and Cheam
Calls for inclusion of parents, babies, and pregnant women in national emergency planning from the outset, citing the oversight during the pandemic that left many mothers and pregnant women without adequate support.
The importance of state involvement in emergency preparedness is highlighted through personal experience. The UK must address the flaws exposed by Storm Éowyn, including failures in priority services and resource distribution. International threats require faster action on national preparedness compared to European allies.
Mike Wood
Con
Dudley South
He criticised the Government's resilience action plan as high-level bureaucratic ambition undermined by structural fragility. He emphasised that a collapsing economy makes Britain more vulnerable to crises. He highlighted administrative failures, such as the delay in publishing lead Department expectations and support for businesses, which are vital for improving preparedness.
Perran Moon
Con
Falmouth and Camborne
Critiques the inadequate resilience systems in Cornwall following Storm Goretti, demanding a review of digital connectivity, critical infrastructure assessment, and an overhaul of the Bellwin formula to address regional disparities.
Peter Prinsley
Lab
London
Described the inadequate protection for healthcare workers during the pandemic and emphasized the need to invest in public health and medical research.
Polly Billington
Con
North West Durham
Public confidence is best built through collective, collaborative efforts to prevent global drivers from having consequences for our communities. Where does the energy crisis, particularly with the situation in the strait of Hormuz, sit on the national risk register?
Robert Courts
Con
Henley
Robert Courts agrees with Downie's concerns about resilience across Departments and involves the public. He stresses the need for clear information about risks, practical guidance for individuals and communities, and a shared understanding of what resilience is.
Sadik Al-Hassan
Lab
North Somerset
Highlights the lack of preparedness in pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for better resilience planning to ensure public trust and proper systems in future crises.
Sojan Joseph
Con
Ashford
Stressed the importance of emergency preparedness in east Kent, particularly at strategic entry points like Dover port and the Channel Tunnel, and discussed the need to maintain facilities at Ashford International for emergency use.
Steve Darling
Lab
Milton Keynes North
He highlighted the relevance of Raymond Briggs's book, 'When The Wind Blows', to reflect on how the UK failed to prepare for nuclear war and is similarly unprepared now. He discussed three key areas: false information or fake news in Moldova, trusted sources of news for young people, and cyber-security challenges with threats doubling over the last year.
Tulip Siddiq
Lab
Hampstead and Kilburn
Strengthening education about climate change in the national curriculum would help children and young people understand and tackle national emergencies better.
Government Response
James Frith
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar on his work in this area and on securing this important debate. In the interest of time, I intend to go through my pre-prepared remarks, but I have noted the themes that have been covered. We heard contributions on the impacts of hot and cold weather; covid and the need to learn lessons from the inquiry; the role of the Cabinet Office; the role that MPs lead locally; and education, skills and the role of devolved learning. The Government's first responsibility is to keep the country safe with a strategic vision for a stronger and more resilient UK set out in the resilience action plan published in July 2025. The National Situation Centre was established in 2021 to provide situational awareness for crisis response, while the emergency alerts system informs and warns the public in emergencies. With geopolitical instability and rapid technological change, enhancing readiness for catastrophic risks is a priority, including embedding the Cabinet Office's leadership role in central crisis management doctrine as outlined in the Amber Book. The Government are committed to working with devolved Governments and local tiers to effectively plan for and respond to risks wherever they occur. We must provide excellent training and exercising to prepare sectors for crises. Civil society plays an important role, including voluntary, community and faith sector organisations contributing to community-level resilience and emergency planning. The UK's critical national infrastructure resilience is central to ensuring essential services continue to operate. Resilience action plan's all-hazards approach underpins the Government's commitment to improving security and resilience of CNI. Supply chain risks are mitigated through a risk-based approach, while cyber-resilience measures impact vulnerability to threats via cellular internet of things. The next annual statement to Parliament will be made in July providing updates on progress made over the last 12 months.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.