Emergency alert test happens today – here’s everything you need to know

Published

2 years ago

April 23, 2023

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Tens of millions of phones will receive an emergency alert today as the government tests the system nationwide for the first time.

At 3pm, a distinct sound and vibration will be accompanied by a message telling people a new service has launched that will “warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby”.

It will last about 10 seconds, and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has assured people they can simply “swipe away” the notification.

“Keep calm and carry on – that is the British way, and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3pm today,” he said.

Ministers hope it will get the public used to what the alerts look and sound like, in case they need to be sent out in future during crises such as extreme weather, flooding, and fires.

Mr Dowden said “it really is the sound that could save your life”.

But critics have said the alerts themselves could put people’s safety at risk, including drivers who may become distracted and domestic violence victims who keep a secret phone.

Meanwhile, sports stadiums, theatres, and cinemas are among those planning how to guard against disruption to large events when Sunday’s test goes off.

The company behind the UK’s alert system has worked on the same technology for other governments, and has insisted it will be a “game changer” for public safety.

Everbridge has already deployed it in the likes of Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and Singapore.

Valerie Risk, vice president of public safety systems, told Sky News: “We’ve had church bells, fires, smoke signals; humans have been alerting populations for centuries in many ways and this is the next generation.”

How does the technology work?

The emergency alerts are broadcast via mobile phone masts and work on all 4G and 5G phone networks.

That’s different to how the government sent out lockdown orders during the pandemic, when SMS messages were sent directly to phone numbers.

It means whoever sends an alert does not need your number, so it’s not something you need to reply to, nor will you receive a voicemail if you miss it.

No location or other data will be collected, either.

Anyone in the range of a mast will receive an alert, and they can be tuned based on geography – for example, Manchester residents would not need an alert about life-threatening flooding in Cornwall.

Manuel Cornelisse, Everbridge’s senior director for public warnings, told Sky News the tech had proved its worth in other countries, including his homeland of the Netherlands.

“It’s a very well proven technology with very strong, quality reach,” he said.

“And because it’s part of the very highest priority of signalling, the service will always remain available, even if a network gets congested when there is massive usage (such as at a sports ground).”

Could it go wrong?

There have been instances of emergency alerts not going to plan.

In 2020, an emergency alert warning millions of people of an “incident” at a nuclear power plant near Toronto in Canada was pushed out in error.

Two years prior, Hawaiian authorities accidentally warned people of an incoming ballistic missile strike.

And Florida residents had a rude awakening this week, when a test alert mistakenly blared out at 4.45am.

The state has contracted Everbridge for its emergency alert system since 2016, and Governor Ron DeSantis has demanded “swift accountability” for the mistake.

Lorenzo Marchetti, the firm’s public affairs manager, said Florida’s system uses different tech than the UK’s, but acknowledged it is not immune to human error.

“We are investigating, it appears to be an unfortunate procedural error in the dispatching of the message,” he said.

“Sometimes these kinds of things might be out of the control of the technology itself.”

Ms Risk said the sending of messages is “very closely managed and regulated”, and mistakes were “very rare”.

Sending alerts requires high-level security access, and there is a confirmation prompt before any are sent.

‘Please don’t turn it off’

Incidents like those in Florida may give sceptics more reason to want to switch the alerts off.

Mr Dowden has urged people not to ahead of Sunday afternoon’s test, which will be sent from a national situation centre inside the Cabinet Office.

Roger Hargreaves, director of the government’s emergency COBRA committee, warned that would be like taking batteries out of your smoke alarm.

He added: “The message that people get through this system is one that contains information that is useful to them, helps protect life and limb, sets out specific action we would like them to take.”

HOW TO TURN THE ALERT OFF

Despite the government’s pleas, domestic violence charities are concerned the alert could give away secret phones people experiencing abuse are keeping hidden.

If you’re concerned, it’s easy to switch them off.

On iOS and Android devices, search settings for “emergency alerts” and turn off “severe alerts” and “emergency alerts”.

On Huawei devices running EMUI 11 or older, search settings for “emergency alerts” and turn off “extreme threats”, “severe threats”, and “show amber alerts”.

The other option is switching off the device entirely or putting it in aeroplane mode before 3pm.

Will alerts be used often?

Ministers have insisted alerts will only be sent in “life-threatening” situations.

But those behind the system have seen increased adoption by governments in recent years, with the pandemic and climate-related emergencies increasing the need for direct communication with the public.

The EU has introduced a directive requiring member states to have a phone-based public warning system.

Ms Risk said the tech will keep improving, with satellite the potential next frontier after being rolled out on some smartphones to help people get emergency help without any mobile masts nearby.

UK

Queen pulls out of attending Duchess of Kent’s funeral due to illness, Buckingham Palace says

Published

6 hours ago

September 16, 2025

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Queen pulls out of attending Duchess of Kent's funeral due to illness, Buckingham Palace says

The Queen has withdrawn from attending the funeral of the Duchess of Kent while she recovers from illness.

Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Queen Camilla is recovering from acute sinusitis.

Camilla, 78, was due to join the King and other members of the Royal Family at the funeral at Westminster Cathedral this afternoon.

The withdrawal raises questions over her attendance for US President Donald Trump‘s state visit, which begins at Windsor on Wednesday.

The visit is being hosted by King Charles.

But the Queen is hopeful she will recover in time to attend all royal elements of Mr Trump’s trip, which includes a lavish state banquet.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “With great regret, Her Majesty The Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon’s Requiem Mass for The Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis.”

The Duke of Kent has been informed and is said to fully understand the decision, wishing her a speedy recovery.

The Queen had travelled down from Scotland this morning and is currently travelling to Windsor, where she will rest.

“Her thoughts and prayers will be with The Duke of Kent and all the family.”

The requiem mass, which is a Catholic funeral, is the first to be held for a member of the monarchy in modern British history.

Royals in attendance included Prince William, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, were also seen approaching Westminster Cathedral for the service.

Former Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and actresses Rula Lenska and Dame Maureen Lipman were also among the mourners.

Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, who became the oldest living member of the Royal Family when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, died at the age of 92 on 4 September.

UK

Heavy security at Windsor for Trump’s state visit feels ‘American’

Published

9 hours ago

September 16, 2025

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Heavy security at Windsor for Trump's state visit feels 'American'

There has been no expense spared for the UK’s biggest security operation since the King’s coronation.

This time the occasion is both royal and presidential. It is vast and honestly feels, well, American.

The operation has been led by Thames Valley Police, but officers from across the UK will also play a part in the visit.

Windsor is a sea of fluorescent yellow jackets and black and white flat caps. Officers are swarming the town and over the next couple of days will be sending drones into crowds, conducting boat patrols and deploying mounted units in and around the wider area.

Authorities have planned for every eventuality but would not expand on whether the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk had led them to heighten security measures.

The assassination of the US activist may have intensified consideration about potential threats, but authorities have had extensive security plans in the works for months.

Operational firearms commander Sergeant Dan Hatfield explained that the police presence will be heightened – and every plan has been worked on in conjunction with the Secret Service.

“The residents of Windsor and visitors to Windsor are used to seeing a fairly high police presence, including armed police,” Sgt Hatfield said.

“However, for this state visit, they will see an increase in those numbers. Fortunately, I’ve had experience working with the Americans with all the Secret Service. We have a really good working relationship and work fairly harmoniously together to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Whether in the air, on the ground or on the water, safety is paramount.

On a visit with the Thames Valley marine unit, Sky News witnessed what their 24-hour patrol of the waterways would look like.

A section of the River Thames that borders the Castle will be closed off during the visit.

Sergeant Lyn Smith, head of the joint operations marine unit between the Thames Valley and Hampshire forces, said this is the biggest event she has worked on.

“The team is highly trained, we are ready for anything that will happen on or around the water,” she said.

“The marine support unit are going to be doing high visibility patrols, some searching, some specialist searching in and around the area, and working with our partners in the Environment Agency to deliver a safe event.

“Similar to President Macron’s state visit, we are still providing capability on the water, it’s just on a larger scale for us.”

Notably, for the first time in any state visit or royal occasion, the section of the Long Walk leading up to the castle has been cordoned off with large white barricades erected to shield the residence from view.

Airspace over the town is also restricted for the duration of the visit, enforced using police drones and helicopters.

Vehicles will be standing by close to patrol officers on the ground, holding their ballistic helmets, ballistic vests and shields if an incident occurs.

Thousands of protesters plan to descend on Windsor and central London during the visit to demonstrate against the president’s trip.

A rally in central London on Wednesday is expected to draw the largest crowd, but protesters from the Stop Trump Coalition have now confirmed plans for a Tuesday event too.

A royal welcome may not be extended by all – but many will be hoping they won’t drown out the pomp for the president.

UK

Google makes £5bn pledge to Britain – but concerns raised over mooted UK-US tech deal

Published

12 hours ago

September 16, 2025

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Google makes £5bn pledge to Britain - but concerns raised over mooted UK-US tech deal

Google is set to invest £5bn in the UK in the next two years, to support growing demands for AI services.

The announcement, which comes as Google opens a new data centre in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, is expected to contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs, the US tech giant said.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves described it as a “vote of confidence” in the UK economy.

The news comes hours before Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit at which he and Sir Keir Starmer are widely expected to sign a new UK-US tech deal.

It also follows reports that ChatGPT parent firm OpenAI, and Nvidia, will also unveil billions of dollars’ worth of investment into UK data centres this week.

The chancellor said the investment would boost research and development, capital expenditure and engineering.

However, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has criticised the proposed deal as a “Silicon Valley stitch-up”, and has demanded that the government put it to a vote in parliament.

He said: “I am really concerned the government is going to agree to a Silicon Valley stitch-up that hands tax cuts to tech billionaires while undermining protections for our children online.”

Sir Ed added: “Parents want protections for children online to be kept in place, not traded away in a backroom deal with tech barons.

“We can’t let the government sign up to a deal that benefits Elon Musk at the expense of the British people.”

Google has confirmed it will invest £5bn into capital expenditure, research and development, and related engineering over the next two years, which will include “pioneering” AI research in science and healthcare through its DeepMind operation.

The Silicon Valley firm said the investment will help the UK grow its AI economy and contribute to technological breakthroughs, improvements in cybersecurity and job creation.

Google predicted the investment will help to create 8,250 jobs annually at UK businesses.

DeepMind co-founder and chief executive Demis Hassabis said: “We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI.

“The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK.”