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Roula Khalaf, editor -in -chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The writer is head of the risk management policy at the long -term resilience center
Investigators will no doubt need time to understand the cause of the fire that closed Heathrow airport on Friday, disturbing more than a thousand flights and affecting some 200,000 travelers. But it doesn’t take long to see how vulnerable the United Kingdom is. In this case, an electrical substation in a neighboring suburbs provided a single failure point for the busiest airport in Europe.
Hub airports have the energy requirements of small cities while rightly prioritizing security. Heathrow claims that it is not possible to have set up the safeguard of the energy production required to carry out its operations safely. It’s not good enough. He must establish that the alternative offer is available from the grid and can be switched transparent if necessary. More broadly, regulators should require that all providers of critical infrastructure regularly assess vulnerabilities and stress test their ability to recover quickly.
While global prospects continue to darken, political decision -makers wake up to the lack of resilience of the United Kingdom – not only in the country’s infrastructure, but more broadly in the economy and society. From underwater cables to energy networks, the United Kingdom is exposed.
The pandemic should have concentrated the spirits, but it seems that few lessons have been learned. A report Last week of the Center for Long-term, resilience reveals that the United Kingdom is in a worse position to respond to biological threats that before COVID-19. Today, the government has very low visibility between the key information department on where we approach pharmaceutical ingredients. This makes the action coordinated very difficult.
However, with good vision and good direction, we can develop resilience. In the 1930s, the government saw in deepening state reorganization, as indicated in Whitehall, The history of the public service of Peter Hennessy. We need the same ambition at the moment – intelligent rechecking at the top of the government, a fundamental change in mind in the public service and an answer that encompasses the whole society.
Resilience must be made of a leading national priority, accompanied by good governance. The national security advisor, renamed national advisor in resilience and security, should take charge, under the Prime Minister. We must learn from business and introduce a specialized resilience to supervise a reinforced risk management process in Whitehall. In addition, as recommended by the Covid survey, an independent external statutory body should be created to examine government work on resilience and group thought.
Pat McFadden, who runs the Office Cabinet, must conduct an entrepreneurial approach to risks through Whitehall, ensuring that civil servants learn to adopt, understand and manage risks. As many criticisms during the decades have all contented it down, the public service must write in the talents of the private sector, reward innovation and agility and encourage managers to work in the departments. The government has promised a reform. He must really deliver.
But the government does not have all the answers. Society also has a role to play. Following Sweden, which introduced a new compulsory civic duty, the United Kingdom could create a civil reservist framework across the country, focusing on emergency response and cyber-defense training. These measures would help not only to develop the foundations of the country’s resilience, but also to give young people essential skills and promote a culture of national responsibility.
The government is committed to spending more on the armed services of the United Kingdom and investing in the military industrial capacity. This is necessary but not enough for the range of extreme risks that we face. We have to build a resilient country, just as we have done in the past. Fortunately, the fire affecting Heathrow died and the services have resumed. We may not be so lucky next time.
