The UK government published its Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, identifying a nationwide power outage as a crisis capable of disrupting essential services across the country. In December 2025, the government published emergency scripts written by the 4 chief medical officers. They cover drinking water, sanitation, food safety and keeping warm. Officials expected radio to be one of the few ways to reach the public if phone, internet and television services failed.
BREAKING:
BBC has developed a secret emergency broadcasting plan to keep the UK informed if a major blackout or cyberattack shuts down electricity, internet and communication networks.
Around 100 BBC staff will operate a special emergency radio studio with independent power,…
— Current Report (@Currentreport1) November 7, 2026
In June 2026, BBC executives told a parliamentary committee they had a plan to keep public information broadcasts running during a national power outage. On October 22, the government launched its Be Ready campaign, telling households to prepare for 3 days without normal services. Now the BBC has revealed more of the operation: around 100 staff would run an emergency studio, supported by secure communications, satellite phones and independent fuel and supply reserves. FM transmitters would use diesel generators to keep broadcasts running for at least 72 hours. The BBC would broadcast government instructions on water, food and sanitation. This is contingency planning, not evidence that a blackout is imminent. But Britain is preparing for a crisis in which the power grid, internet and mobile networks could fail together.
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