 are also labelled a 'chronic risk', showing a degree of concern inside Whitehall about modern advances. Russia's disruption of oil and gas pipelines is also explicitly highlighted in the report for the first time. The last National Risk Register came out in 2020, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 'Wake-up call' The document is seen inside the Cabinet Office as hopefully being a 'wake-up call' to businesses and organisations to build up mitigation measures to key risks, according to a well-placed government source. Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister – who from Thursday is running the Government with Rishi Sunak on holiday in California – wrote a foreword for the publication explaining its use. Mr Dowden wrote: 'By focusing on our collective resilience, we can help the nation be more safe, more secure and, in turn, more prosperous. 'This National Risk Register plays a vital role in that process, allowing us to build towards an even brighter future.' He also wrote at another point: 'This country has overcome countless challenges before, but I am determined to build on our national resilience so that we are prepared for whatever the future holds. 'To do that, we need to be more open than ever about the risks we face. Government ca){kind=link}
‘Reasonable worst-case scenario’ could mean 50pc of population falling ill and 840,000 deaths
There is up to a one in four chance that a “catastrophic” pandemic will hit the UK in the next five years, a new Cabinet Office document has warned.
In the so-called “reasonable worst-case scenario”, a future pandemic could result in 50 per cent of the population falling ill and some 840,000 people in Britain dying.
The threat was one of scores flagged up in the National Risk Register, where the Government looks ahead at potential dangers and considers mitigation measures.
While inherently shrouded in uncertainty, the analysis underscores how those in Whitehall tasked with trying to plan ahead think a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic is not impossible.