Wes Streeting warns UK infrastructure attacks by hostile states must be planned for
Defence secretary Wes Streeting warned that UK infrastructure attacks by hostile states are a threat Britain should prepare for, saying cyber-attacks could knock out businesses' payment systems or collapse supply chains.
Wes Streeting warns UK infrastructure attacks by hostile states must be planned for
Threats from cyber-attacks to sabotage
Britain should prepare for the threat of state-sponsored terrorism by hostile powers targeting everyday infrastructure, defence secretary Wes Streeting said on Thursday, framing the warning as part of a national conversation about resilience. He pointed to hybrid warfare risks including cyber-attacks that could knock out payment systems used by businesses or cause supply chains to collapse.
European governments have grown more vocal about sabotage by enemies, particularly Russia, which can cause disruption or directly threaten safety. Streeting cited recent incidents:
- In August, an explosives-laden drone was found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at Germany's Leipzig airport.
- There has been a series of unexplained explosions and fires at defence facilities in Europe.
Why he says 'state-sponsored terrorism'
Streeting said he prefers to describe the danger as state-sponsored terrorism rather than reach for the language of hybrid warfare or grey zone threats.
"Terms like hybrid warfare and grey zone threats do not accurately capture or convey to the general public what I prefer to describe as state-sponsored."
He said the threats are not hypothetical but real, and not somewhere else but increasingly here - meaning the country needs national resilience as well as national defence. That means asking households and businesses, in his words, whether they are prepared and know how they would respond. He also said the public should consider natural risks, such as flooding or wildfires. The government indicated in August that UK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take other steps to prepare for national emergencies.
Speaking at the Telford tank factory
Streeting made the remarks during a visit to a new tank gun barrel factory in Telford in the West Midlands, owned by the German manufacturer Rheinmetall. The plant forms part of efforts to accelerate rearmament against Russian military threats.
Defence spending commitments
His comments came less than a week before the first budget under prime minister Andy Burnham and his chancellor, John Healey. Streeting said Healey will set out plans to raise military spending to 3.5% of GDP in next year's spending review, and that he is the only cabinet member who can confidently say defence spending will keep rising at the upcoming budget and the spending review - something he called vital to win.
