Monday 9 June 2025,
16.30, Committee Room 4a, House of Commons
On Monday 9 June, the Joint Committee on the National Security
Strategy continues its inquiry into undersea cables with a
session exploring the UK's national resilience in the event of
severe disruption.
The Committee is examining the UK's ability to withstand
co-ordinated attacks in the event of heightened political
tension.
What would happen if the UK's undersea cable network – carrying
99% of our data to the outside world – were severely disrupted?
How would our key industries and emergency services respond? How
long would it take to recover, and how much of this is accounted
for in national resilience planning?
According to the European Subsea Cables Association, while there
is strong resilience in the cable system, prolonged outages could
lead to economic losses and extensive challenges for critical
national infrastructure.
In the first panel, MPs are likely to ask how different core
sectors of the UK economy, including financial services and
telecommunications, would be affected. How would payment systems
or access to ‘.com' internet domains work?
They will also ask senior emergency services leaders how their
operations could be affected, and whether there is any potential
for this leading to long-term problems or public disorder.
In the second panel, MPs will ask cable industry executives for
their view on the industry's level of resilience, their ability
to respond to severe disruption, commercial incentives to improve
resilience, and wider options including sovereign repair ships.
Witnesses
Panel one:
- Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair, National Police
Chiefs' Council
- Laura Catterick, Director, Resilience & Cyber at UK
Finance
- Alex Towers, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, BT Group
- Dr Fenella Wrigley MBE, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy CEO
at London Ambulance Service; and Ambulance Medical Advisor at NHS
England
Panel two:
- Mick McGovern, General Manager of Marine Operations, Alcatel
Submarine Networks
- Alasdair Wilkie, Chairman, Atlantic Cable Maintenance &
Repair Agreement
- John Wrottesley, Executive Director, European Subsea Cables
Association
