Emergency alert test happens today – here’s everything you need to know
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 emergency alert will appear like this
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).”
Read more:
How emergency alerts work in other countries
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‘The sound that could save your life’
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.”
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.
Prince Andrew was among members of the royal family who attended the traditional Easter Sunday service in Windsor.
It is the second year in a row that the Duke of York has joined the King and Queen at St George’s Chapel, appearing to enter the chapel quickly after his eldest brother’s arrival.
Other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, also gathered outside the church.
The Duke of York leaving St George’s Chapel. Pic: PA
William and Kate did not attend the annual service, deciding instead to spend time with their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, in Norfolk before they go back to school.
Crowds wished the King and Queen a Happy Easter as they left the chapel, with two children presenting Camilla with a bunch of flowers, before they were driven away.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving at St George’s chapel. Pic: PA
The Princess Royal. Pic: PA
Andrew was seen glancing at a member of the crowd, who wished him a “Happy Easter” before the duke walked off with his ex-wife.
The duke has not been pictured at a formal royal family event since last Easter. He missed the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham amid the controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy.
He disappeared from public life after stepping down from official duties in March 2020, following his explosive TV interview with BBC’s Newsnight.
The Duchess of Edinburgh followed by Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Pic: PA
Sarah Ferguson. Pic: PA
The Easter sermon is traditionally led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, but was today led by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, from York Minster.
Mr Cottrell has temporarily taken over the role after Justin Welby announced he was stepping down in November last year, after an independent review found he “could and should” have reported decades-long abuse of men and young boys by his former friend, the barrister John Smyth QC.
Mr Cottrell has also apologised for his handling of the case.
Pic: PA
The Queen waves to crowds in Windsor. Pic: PA
King’s message of ‘faith, hope and love’
Last year’s Easter Sunday service was the King’s first major public appearance after he announced his cancer diagnosis.
The 76-year-old monarch is still receiving treatment for cancer, and last month, spent a short period of time in hospital after experiencing temporary side effects.
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King and Queen attend Maundy service
In his Easter message – a tradition he started when he was the Prince of Wales – Charles reflected on the examples of “great cruelty and great kindness” that “daily come before our eyes” – saying they should remind the world of the importance of the “virtues of faith, hope and love”.
Read more from Sky News:
Pope blesses Easter crowds
London-born teenager to become a saint
He shared the message last week ahead of attending the annual Maundy service at Durham Cathedral, where he presented the Maundy recipients – 76 men and 76 women – with two purses: one red and one white, containing Maundy Money.
The ancient tradition traces back to the 13th century and is given to recipients in recognition of outstanding Christian service and work in their local communities.
Police are appealing for information after seven statues – including one of suffragette Millicent Fawcett – were daubed with graffiti during a trans rights rally in London.
The Metropolitan Police said the criminal damage took place during the protest in Parliament Square, Westminster, on Saturday.
Thousands of people had gathered for an “emergency demonstration” following the Supreme Court ruling earlier this week on the definition of a woman.
The words “Trans rights are human rights” were written on a statue of South African statesman Jan Christian Smuts.
Graffiti on the statue of South African statesman Jan Christian Smuts in Parliament Square. Pic: PA
The Met Police said officers were trawling CCTV footage and no arrests have been made as yet.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said: “Criminal damage and vandalism like this has no place on the streets of London and spoils the area for locals and those visiting.
“While the police support the public’s right to protest, criminality like this is senseless and unacceptable. We are pursuing this and will take action against those responsible.”
Graffiti on the statue of Millicent Fawcett. Pic: PA
Mr Bell said there were plans to remove the graffiti “but this requires specialist equipment and we are confident this will be done shortly”.
“We are keen to speak to those who saw anything on the day and urge anyone with information, pictures or footage to come forward,” he added.
The force has not shared details of which seven statues were defaced. Parliament Square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.
Thousands of protesters joined the rally on Saturday. Pic: Daniel Bregman
The Met said it was also dealing with a number of complaints from the public about signs and images shared on social media that were reportedly displayed at the protest.
The force said while officers were investigating the displayed signs and images, they had so far proved to be from historic events, did not take place in London, or did not constitute a criminal offence.
The protest followed a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, when the UK’s highest court ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
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Gender ruling – How it happened
It essentially means trans women who hold gender recognition certificates are not women in the eyes of the law.
This means transgender women with one of the certificates can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The UK government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers.
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