Deputy Prime Minister speech on resilience: 22 May 2024
Deputy Prime Minister makes a speech at the London Defence Conference on resilience.
INTRODUCTION/COVID CONTEXT
Four years ago 바카라 사이트“ almost to the day 바카라 사이트“ I was standing in 10 Downing Street giving the daily press conference during the early months of the COVID pandemic.
It was a terrifying time.
An unknown 바카라 사이트“ unforeseen 바카라 사이트“ entity had upended our way of life바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ was taking the lives of thousands바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and endangering the livelihoods of millions more.
Britain바카라 사이트™s response to such a pandemic 바카라 사이트“ and indeed our wider resilience 바카라 사이트“ was under the spotlight.
We quickly discovered where our strengths and weaknesses lay:
We turned to business and civil society to augment our capabilities 바카라 사이트“ from the ventilator challenge to the vaccine army.
While Rishi Sunak deployed our hard-won economic heft바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦to protect jobs, through the unprecedented furlough scheme바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and to protect businesses and national institutions바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ including through the £2 billion cultural recovery fund that I led as Culture Secretary.
I바카라 사이트™ll leave it to others 바카라 사이트“ including the COVID Inquiry 바카라 사이트“ to make judgements on our relative performance바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ but I am hugely proud of the way the whole of society바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦the NHS, 바카라 사이트, businesses, civil society and individuals바카라 사이트¦.
바카라 사이트¦ came together in response to the generational crisis of COVID.
We were able to effect the fastest vaccine rollout바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦a speedy end to lockdowns바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and one of the quickest economic recoveries.
RESILIENCE SINCE COVID
Although the virus is still amongst us - and continues to affect particularly those with long Covid바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦we have, largely, returned to normality.
And as much as many of us would like to forget those dark days바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ it is right that 바카라 사이트 ensures that we are prepared for the next crisis.
That바카라 사이트™s why, on day one in this role, I turned my focus to exactly that.
In the last 18 months we have launched a new Resilience Framework 바카라 사이트“ outlining ambitious plans through to 2030바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦a dedicated Resilience Directorate 바카라 사이트“ constantly scanning the horizon for future threats바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and an Emergency Alerts system 바카라 사이트“ ready to notify people if lives are at risk.
We have bolstered our Local Resilience Fora바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦developed a dedicated programme to assess and act early upon chronic risks바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ we have harnessed the transformational power of data through our world leading National Situation Centre바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and published the most transparent-ever National Risk Register.
We have also recognised that crises have a disproportionate effect on vulnerable people바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and so we are taking specific actions to better protect those groups.
The work we do is now independently reviewed and genuinely cutting-edge.
These reforms amount to the biggest overhaul of resilience in the UK for decades.
INCREASING THREATS
But as we have been increasing our defences, the threats we face have been proliferating.
Geopolitical tensions have risen to heights not seen for decades 바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ climate change has compounded the risk from natural disasters바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and 바카라 사이트“ as became all-too-real with COVID 바카라 사이트“ biosecurity hazards pose potentially existential threats to our lives and livelihoods.
All the while we become increasingly dependent on digital technology which brings extraordinary opportunities바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ but also creates new vulnerabilities and threats.
In particular, generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry for malign on-line actors바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦making the UK바카라 사이트™s leadership on frontier AI risks essential.
GOVERNMENT POSTURE/WHOLE OF SOCIETY
And as the Prime Minister said last week, more will change in the next five years than in the last thirty.
So it is right that we take stock and consider how we make sure we are as resilient as possible.
There are currently around 100 risks on the 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트™s risk register, ranging from cyber attacks to solar flares.
It is important at this stage to say that it is not the job of 바카라 사이트 to be optimally prepared for just one of these risks manifesting바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ rather it is our job to position our finite resources so that we can prevent risks where we can바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦have plans in place for where we cannot바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and are able to put those plans into practice as quickly as possible in a crisis.
It바카라 사이트™s a trade-off.
You cannot be fully prepared for one and sensibly prepared for all.
One thing that COVID made clear 바카라 사이트“ and that remains clear 바카라 사이트“ is that crises can hit us all바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦in ways we might not be able to anticipate바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and that resilience requires us all to be ready.
It is this 바카라 사이트˜whole of society바카라 사이트™ approach that 바카라 사이트“ ultimately 바카라 사이트“ saw us overcome the pandemic.
Now, none of us want to spend disproportionate time dwelling on the 바카라 사이트˜what ifs바카라 사이트™ or the 바카라 사이트˜worst-case scenarios바카라 사이트™바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ but we do ourselves a disservice 바카라 사이트“ indeed we put ourselves at risk 바카라 사이트“ if we don바카라 사이트™t put sensible precautions in place.
And so today, I want to outline both the steps the 바카라 사이트 is taking바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and the steps we urge others to take, to strengthen our collective, national resilience.
INDIVIDUALS
That resilience begins at home.
After the reaction to my intervention on preparedness last Autumn바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ where I was painted as either alarmist바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ or as some sort of doomsday prepper바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ I want to take head on the suggestion that we shouldn바카라 사이트™t talk about this issue.
Who can forget the empty supermarket shelves in the early days of the pandemic?
And how many of us have since acted so we바카라 사이트™d be prepared if it happened again?
If there was a national power outage, how many of us have torches and batteries?
If the water went off, how many of us have a few bottles stored away?
And if there was a cyber attack, how many of us have the means to listen to the radio without mains power or wi-fi?
A poll released today by our hosts - the London Defence Conference - shows that just 15 per cent of people have an emergency supply kit in their homes바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ while more than 40 per cent of people do not have three days바카라 사이트™ supplies of non-perishable food and water.
It is still the case, I make no apologies for reinforcing my recommendations that all households take a few minutes to consider their preparedness.
I am determined to make this as easy as possible, and to offer clear guidance.
This is not about stockpiling, this is about sensible safeguards.
And so, I can announce that today we are launching a new gov.uk website, based on the National Risk Register, that offers practical information for households to make those preparations.
This is about being prepared ahead of events바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦small things we can do today that might make a big difference tomorrow.
INTERNATIONAL COMPARATORS
Perhaps it is the legacy of the old 바카라 사이트˜stiff upper lip바카라 사이트™ mentality that means it is unusual for a British minister to talk about resilience바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ certainly there is far more of a culture of doing so around the world.
In Finland they have a 바카라 사이트™72 hours campaign바카라 사이트™ which encourages everyone to be self-sufficient in the first three days of any crisis바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ as well as an annual 바카라 사이트˜National Preparedness Day바카라 사이트™.
Meanwhile, I recently visited the earthquake preparedness centre in Tokyo바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ where they have an entire crisis management centre ready to go when the next big quake hits.
And although we are fortunate not to have to worry too much about the UK바카라 사이트™s earthquake resilience바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ I do want to embrace that spirit of openness around national preparedness바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and to share lessons from our respective training and exercising programmes.
That is why I am pleased that resilience and crisis-management officials are actively engaging with their counterparts in these and other countries.
Indeed many of them are represented here at this conference.
Of course, when it comes to our international partnerships, the bedrock of our resilience is the NATO alliance바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ which is why our commitment to spend an additional £75 billion over the next six years - increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ is so important.
It is also right that we consider our resilience and our defence together바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and so - working with NATO and other partners - we are bringing forward a comprehensive National Defence and Resilience Plan바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ based on the very latest threat assessment and bringing together both civil and military planning.
TRAINING
Although crisis-response is so often considered through the prism of central government or individuals바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ the truth is, it is communities that make the difference between success and failure.
It is the response of public services, businesses, local resilience fora and the voluntary sector that determines the extent to which services, and economic output, are hit.
In these moments we look to local leaders바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦as much as to national government.
And we want to offer all of these individuals appropriate training.
We have already announced the new national Resilience Academy바카라 사이트¦Â
바카라 사이트¦which will see several thousand people trained to deal with crises
this year and next year.
And I can announce today that, for the first time, we will create bespoke training offers for both ministers and MPs바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and I am looking forward to attending the early pilot of these courses.
EXERCISING
It is also important that we stress-test our response바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ putting both our training and our plans into action바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and being candid about where we find vulnerabilities.
Although those on the resilience frontline are constantly working to iterate their own preparations바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ we can only assess their efficacy when we bring them together and practise them in concert.
So I am also pleased today to launch the new National Exercising Programme.
This plan schedules training over the next 4 years바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and is designed to test as many of the common knock-on effects of crises as possible.
Importantly, next year 바카라 사이트“ five years on from the heart of the first lockdown 바카라 사이트“ we will conduct a major 바카라 사이트˜Tier 1바카라 사이트™ exercise, testing our response to a major pandemic바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ this will be the largest ever simulation of a pandemic in the United Kingdom바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and will involve thousands of people from across 바카라 사이트 and public services.
LGD MODEL/RESOURCING
At the heart of our resilience systems is the 바카라 사이트˜lead government departmental바카라 사이트™ model바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦where risks are delegated to those departments which already cover the relevant areas.
I am aware that the model has been called into question바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ but I believe it is still the right foundation to build on.
The alternative is to create a huge new centralised government agency바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ simultaneously duplicating sector-specific expertise바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and potentially ignoring the expertise that departments have built up over years.
But that does not mean that we should not look to improve our current approach.
I believe we need to do so in three crucial ways:
바카라 사이트¦ in our approach to central oversight바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ our approach to resourcing바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and our approach to catastrophic risks.
CENTRAL OVERSIGHT
When it comes to oversight, it is not right that departments are able to 바카라 사이트˜mark their own homework바카라 사이트™바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ nor can the centre absolve themselves of responsibility for making sure those plans are robust.
And so, through the new Resilience Directorate, the Cabinet Office is being more active in embedding a culture of resilience right across Whitehall바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ developing critical cross-cutting capabilities 바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and ensuring that the join-up between departments is as seamless as it needs to be.
As part of this, we will use some of the £10 million 바카라 사이트˜Economic and Fiscal Risks Fund바카라 사이트™ announced at the Autumn Statement last year바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ to fund necessary proactive mitigations.
RESOURCING
That fund will also be used for research into how we embed a culture of resilience into our public spending decisions.
When money is tight, the concept of spending to save falls out of favour바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and although it is right that we have a rigorous value-for-money criteria바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ it is also true that every penny we spend on resilience today바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ saves pounds when a crisis strikes.
It is estimated that the entire cost of COVID to 바카라 사이트 was around 350 billion pounds바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ that바카라 사이트™s well over £10,000 for every household. Money that will have to be paid back.
And yet the cost of Covid in lives would have been far greater had we not invested in our health services and life science industry in the preceding decades바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and the cost to livelihoods would have been far greater if we hadn바카라 사이트™t had the prudent financial management that meant we could fund schemes like furlough.
Because for me there is no greater source of resilience than a strong economy.
Of course, that hindsight was impossible then바카라 사이트¦ but it can 바카라 사이트“ and should 바카라 사이트“ improve our foresight now.
And so, as we approach the next Spending Review, I have asked all departments to consider these lessons as they look to submit their bids for resilience spending바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and, in some critical areas, such as biosecurity and cybersecurity, the Cabinet Office is working with all relevant departments to generate consolidated bids바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ reflecting the pervasive, cross-departmental nature of these challenges.
Allocating the proper resourcing is one thing, but ensuring it is subsequently spent as planned is another.
It is understandable that, when times are tight, or unforeseen pressures emerge, you might raid the rainy day fund바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ but for too long departments have cannibalised long-planned resilience spend to ease day-to-day pressures.
There are always urgent, immediate spending priorities.
It바카라 사이트™s the job of the centre to ensure that some areas are protected from those shorter-term decisions.
And so, I can also announce today, that in the critical area of biosecurity we have agreed that all spend will be ring-fenced through the next Spending Review period바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and I am working with the Chancellor to consider how we can extend this protected approach to all resilience spending.
CATASTROPHIC RISKS
Of the 100 risks on the National Risk Register, we consider only a handful as catastrophic in scale바카라 사이트¦.
바카라 사이트¦events that would have a profound effect on all our lives and that pose an existential threat to our national security, our society, even our lives.
When it comes to these risks바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦which have cascading impacts affecting other departments and their sectors바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦the lead government department model on its own is not sufficient to either make preparations, or to manage the response.
In these instances, I believe the Cabinet Office at the heart of government should play a much fuller role in coordinating our response.
For these risks, I also think it is right to look at the interaction between the devolved administrations and central 바카라 사이트.
It is my belief that when catastrophic crisis have nation-wide impact, it deserves a nation-wide response.
During COVID we saw the confusion that arose when the various administrations pursued different policies바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ and even descended into political game playing in tit-for-tat announcements.
And so, where a crisis meets the threshold of having catastrophic impact바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦ we will work to ensure that, in future, we reduce policy divergence in our response바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and deliver a consistent and coordinated approach across the whole of our United Kingdom.
BIOSECURITY
The area that gives rise to the most likely, and most severe catastrophic risk, is biosecurity.
This might be naturally-occurring infections, such as epidemics, pandemics or antimicrobial resistance바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦it might be biological attacks바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦or new threats from AI.
In every scenario we are strengthening our collective defences and doubling down our delivery of the UK바카라 사이트™s world-leading Biosecurity Strategy바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and today I can confirm we are committing to increasing our investment to mitigate these risks바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦and will be setting out the details of this in my first annual statement on its implementation to Parliament at the end of June.
CONCLUSION
Resilience is a ministerial portfolio unlike any other.
It is the only part of government where you hope that the plans you work so hard to develop never have to be put into practice.
It can feel overwhelming when you바카라 사이트™re confronted with a vast array of constantly changing doomsday scenarios.
But I approach the agenda with a deep sense of confidence and optimism.
Because while the risks are great바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦the resources and resolve we have are greater 바카라 사이트“ and growing by the day.
Since the Covid pandemic 바카라 사이트“ and specifically within the last year 바카라 사이트“ we have seen the single biggest transformation of preparedness in a generation바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦creating an approach that is copied around the world.
We have changed resilience from something that is tucked away in government바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦into something that is a part of our everyday lives.
In many ways, we came through Covid because of the goodwill of our people.
The nurses, doctors and other clinical staff who cared for our sick.
The world-class civil servants who coordinated the government바카라 사이트™s response.
The scientists who developed the vaccine that freed us.
And good neighbours, good sons and daughters, and good citizens up and down the country who played their part.
It was a whole of society effort, underpinned by a strong economy.
But we cannot take those things for granted.
We are working ahead of time to equip the whole of society to prepare for - and even prevent - the next shock바카라 사이트¦
바카라 사이트¦while delivering a clear and robust plan that is so vital to our national defences.
And so the new measures I have set out today give us yet more tools in our armoury - whenever - if ever - we need them.
바카라 사이트“ENDS바카라 사이트“