David Reed MP has criticised the Government’s Annual Statement on National Resilience, published today (14 July), warning that it is long on ambition but short on the concrete action needed to prepare Britain for growing national security threats.
He also raised concerns that the Government’s commitment to spend 1.5% of GDP on national resilience by 2035 risks being achieved simply by rebadging existing spending rather than delivering meaningful new investment in Britain’s preparedness.
National resilience - the UK’s ability to anticipate, prevent, withstand, respond to and recover from major emergencies, including cyber attacks and natural disasters - is identified as a core priority in the Strategic Defence Review.
Commenting, David Reed MP said:
"It is welcome that the Government recognises the importance of strengthening Britain’s resilience, but this statement does not provide the clarity or urgency needed to meet the scale of the challenge.
“Ministers must now set out what will be done, who is responsible, and how progress will be measured. The test of this strategy will be whether it delivers real improvements to Britain’s ability to prepare for and respond to future threats.”
David pointed to evidence given to the Defence Select Committee on 7 July by General Sir Richard Barrons, one of the authors of the Strategic Defence Review, who rated the UK’s current level of national resilience at just 2 out of 10 - a stark assessment of how much work remains to be done.
These concerns led David to secure an Adjournment Debate in Parliament on 10 June, where he argued that the UK lacks clear leadership on national resilience. Responsibility is currently spread across Whitehall, with no single minister or department directly accountable for ensuring the country is prepared for major national emergencies.
To examine how this could work more effectively, David travelled to Copenhagen on 16 June to study Denmark’s approach, where a dedicated Ministry of Resilience and Preparedness oversees the country’s resilience strategy.
Reflecting on the visit, David said:
“Denmark’s approach shows the value of clear leadership and a whole-of-society approach to resilience. The UK needs to begin a serious national conversation about preparedness and learn from countries that have already taken practical steps to strengthen their resilience.”
Since returning from Denmark, David has tabled Written Parliamentary Questions to every Government department to establish what practical steps are being taken to strengthen national resilience.
The responses have revealed little evidence of significant progress since the current Government took office - a picture which today’s Annual Statement does little to change.
David will continue pressing Ministers over the summer to provide greater transparency over their resilience plans and to explain precisely how the promised 1.5% of GDP will be invested to make Britain genuinely more resilient.
