UK expands National Risk Register with democratic interference and cyber threats

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UK expands National Risk Register

Highlights

UK adds interference in the democratic process and seven new risks, including cyber attacks on data infrastructure and digital resilience failure, to the National Risk Register.
The government removes disruption to Russian gas supplies from the risk register and begins consultation on updating plans under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
A national resilience campaign launches later in 2024 to boost household emergency readiness, with regional mayors gaining a broader role in local resilience efforts.

Updated risk planning and consultation measures

As reported by GOV.UK, the UK has added interference in the democratic process to its National Risk Register after announcing new measures last week to protect democracy, including tougher checks on company donations and a cap on overseas donations.

The updated register adds seven new risks in total, including cyber attacks on data infrastructure, water infrastructure and police systems, as the government says the growing sophistication and spread of artificial intelligence demand closer attention. Another new category, digital resilience failure, reflects lessons from the Crowdstrike IT outage in July 2024.

The government also removes the threat of disruption to Russian gas supplies from the register, saying the UK has reduced its reliance on Russian gas. Ministers are consulting from today on plans under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which is still considered fit for purpose but is undergoing a regular review.

Emergency readiness and regional response role

Later this year, the government will launch a national resilience campaign aimed at helping households prepare for emergencies such as cyber attacks, flooding and severe weather. The campaign encourages the public to take practical steps to improve preparedness for disruption that can affect access to power, water and phone signals.

Regional mayors are also set to take on a broader role in local resilience alongside existing bodies such as Local Resilience Forums. The move formalises mayoral involvement in responses to local and national emergencies as the government updates its wider resilience framework following another heatwave.

We previously reported on UK banks’ limited access to Anthropic’s Mythos cybersecurity AI model and how that shortage is intensifying calls for UK-based AI infrastructure and skills. The piece also outlined proposals for tighter oversight of major AI suppliers by designating them as critical providers, alongside efforts to diversify vendor dependence to reduce operational and systemic resilience risks.

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