Heathrow shutdown is embarrassing at best – but at worst it points to serious vulnerabilities in UK infrastructure
An electrical substation fire and an entire airport shut down – with over 1,000 flights cancelled, others rerouted worldwide, and 200,000 passengers affected by the disruption.
The Heathrow closure on Friday really highlights the ‘critical’ part of critical national infrastructure (CNI) – the systems and facilities that are essential for society to function.
At best it’s an embarrassment. At worst, it points to serious vulnerabilities across the country that could be exploited by bad actors.
Heathrow first.
Heathrow needs a lot of power, the equivalent of a small town, and the bulk of this is supplied by a dedicated connection at the North Hyde substation – reflecting Heathrow’s critical status.
But that also appears to be the problem – because Heathrow requires so much power, having a second dedicated connection would likely be prohibitively expensive, especially for the low probability scenario of such a catastrophic fire. This is the first time this has happened in decades, after all.
“Fires like this are not common at all,” said Dr Robin Preece, a reader in future power systems at the University of Manchester. “If it just broke down without catching fire… you might never have noticed anything as we have sufficient alternative routes for the electricity to follow.”
The fire at the North Hyde electrical substation. Pic: @JoselynEMuirhe1
But uncommon doesn’t mean impossible – and when infrastructure is critical, it’s supposed to be protected.
MI5 in charge of critical infrastructure protection
The organisation ultimately responsible is MI5, through the National Protective Security Authority. This lists 13 national infrastructure sectors, from chemicals to nuclear, emergency services to food, space to water.
It’s a lot to look after – this map shows just some of the sites that would be considered CNI. Airports and power stations. Or the tubes that supply us with energy (gas and fuel pipelines) and internet (undersea cables).
Many of those risks are collected in the National Risk Register. This plots the likelihood and the impact of a risk.
Measuring risk chances and impact
So an accidental fire or explosion at an onshore fuel pipeline is estimated to have less than a 0.2% chance of happening in the next two years but would have only a “moderate” impact, defined as between 41-200 casualties and/or hundreds of millions of pounds in economic losses.
A civil nuclear accident has a similar probability but would have a “catastrophic” impact, defined as the loss of more than 1,000 lives and/or an economic cost of tens of billions of pounds. Pandemics also meet the catastrophic impact threshold.
A regional failure of the electricity network, one due perhaps to “a specific power substation”, is listed as having a 1% to 5% chance of happening every two years, and a moderate impact. But this is what happened to Heathrow – and the impact doesn’t appear moderate at all.
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The electrical substation in west London. Pic: PA
Catalogue of vulnerabilities
The National Risk Register is sensible planning but it’s also a catalogue of vulnerabilities.
Accidents do happen, but so do attacks. It can be hard to tell the difference – and that’s the point of what are known as “grey zone” attacks.
For example, undersea cables keep unfortunately being cut, whether in the Baltic Sea or the waters around Taiwan.
Taiwan has accused China of doing this deliberately. China responded by saying that damage to undersea cables is a “common maritime accident”.
Taiwanese coastguard in February prepares to board a cargo ship suspected of severing an undersea communications cable. Pic: AP
“Malicious actors see opportunities and vulnerabilities”, Marco Wyss, Professor of International History and Security at Lancaster University, told Sky News.
“And if you showcase vulnerabilities to such an extent as today, even if it wasn’t a malicious actor, it can give them some ideas.”
Additional reporting by Sophia Massam, junior digital investigations journalist
UK
Ida Lock: Baby girl died from brain injury because midwives failed to provide basic care, coroner rules
A baby girl died from a serious brain injury because midwives failed to provide basic medical care, a coroner has concluded.
Ida Lock, who lived for just seven days, was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in November 2019 but suffered a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.
She was transferred to intensive care at Royal Preston Hospital’s neonatal unit where she died a week later on 16 November 2019.
Ever since her death, Ida’s grieving parents, Ryan Lock and Sarah Robinson, have had to fight for answers.
Mr Lock said the hospital’s trust “put up a huge wall” when they tried to find out what had happened.
Ms Robinson says she was made to feel like she was to blame.
“It was was awful. It was so tough. My world had shattered, and I couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong, what I’d missed.”
An initial investigation carried out by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust found no issues with her delivery.
However, in April 2020, a report from the independent Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) identified numerous failings in the care of Ida which contributed to her death, the hearing at County Hall, Preston, had previously heard.
Ryan and Ida Lock. Pic: PA
Ms Robinson says: “That’s the hurt, because that time that we’ve taken to fight and get these answers. And all along people had these answers, people knew, but they didn’t give them to us them.”
Midwives had failed to identify an abnormally slow foetal heart rate after Ms Robinson attended in early labour and then following birth there was ineffective resuscitation, the HSIB concluded.
This trust has faced serious criticism in the past.
A review into maternity care at Morecambe Bay in 2015 found 11 babies and one mother had died due to poor care.
The report’s author, Dr Bill Kirkup, gave evidence at the inquest and told Sky News it is “unforgivable” lessons have not been learnt.
He also chaired an investigation into maternity services in East Kent and found repeated and significant failings.
“These are not problems of isolated units, and it’s not a particular rogue unit that we’re talking about here. It’s a very widespread failure of culture in maternity services,” said Dr Kirkup.
Ida Lock died seven days after she was born. Pic: PA
The national maternity inspection programme carried out by the healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed over 130 units.
It gave ratings for safety and found 65% rated either “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
Mr Lock believes there must be a change in culture.
He said: “There needs to be more accountability. If people feel they can get away with being deceitful and covering up the truth, then they’re going to continue doing that.”
Ms Robinson has since had another baby daughter but says her mental health has suffered.
“It’s changed me as a person. Five years on, the anxiety, the stress, it’s just constant. No one was open and honest with us. No parent should have to go through that.”
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Ryan Lock and Sarah Robinson
The family scattered Ida’s ashes on Morecambe Beach, close to their home.
Mr Lock says they often walk along this small stretch of sand which they call “Ida’s beach”.
He said: “She’s always going to be in our hearts, and that’s what’s driven us to continue, to keep going. We owe it to her.”
Delivering a narrative conclusion following the inquest on Friday, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, said: “Ida was a normal child whose death was caused by a lack of oxygen during her delivery that occurred due to the gross failure of the three midwives attending her to provide basic medical care to deliver Ida urgently when it was apparent she was in distress.”
He added her death was contributed to by the lead midwife’s “wholly incompetent” failure to provide basic neonatal resuscitation for Ida during the first three-and-half minutes of her life, which further contributed to the infant’s brain damage.
Dr Adeley identified eight missed opportunities by midwives to alter Ida’s clinical course.
Four police officers have been given disciplinary notices over alleged failings in handling a domestic abuse report by a woman later found dead in a car boot.
Harshita Brella, 24, was found in a Vauxhall Corsa in Ilford, east London, on 14 November.
Her husband, Pankaj Lamba, is the target of an international manhunt and earlier this week was charged with her murder, rape and other offences.
Pankaj Lamba is believed to have fled the UK
Indian police have also arrested Lamba’s parents and believe Ms Brella’s death is connected to a dispute over a dowry.
The couple lived in Corby, Northamptonshire, and Ms Brella made a domestic abuse report at the end of August.
Lamba, 23, was arrested on 3 September but was released on bail, with a court granting a domestic violence protection order.
Officers from Northamptonshire Police have now been served with disciplinary notices by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
Two detective constables are being investigated over potential gross misconduct.
The IOPC said it was over “alleged failings to progress inquiries and communicate with Ms Brella” after she made her domestic abuse complaint.
Ms Brella’s body was found in the back of this car in Ilford
Two more senior officers have been served with misconduct notices over their “supervision of the case and relevant risk assessments”.
The IOPC said it was still gathering and assessing evidence and it does not automatically mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.
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Lamba and Ms Brella had an arranged marriage and moved to the UK in April 2024, just seven months before she was killed.
A neighbour in Corby described hearing two blistering rows, involving one where a woman “sounded scared”, days before her body was found.
The victim’s family believe Lamba was on a flight to Delhi that arrived on 12 November.
Ms Brella’s sister, Sonia Davas, told Sky News she believes he could be “somewhere in Haryana or near Chandigarh”, states in northern India.
A 103-year-old Second World War veteran has been sharing his stories of the frontline with primary school children in Salford – as part of a new project to celebrate the anniversary of VE Day.
Bombardier Tom Jones was called up to serve in the Royal Artillery as the war broke out in 1939 – when he was aged just 17.
He spent time defending the Liverpool Docks and was later posted to Myanmar, also known as Burma, for four years until the end of the war in 1945.
He is one of the surviving veterans taking part in the VE Mail project – writing a personal letter to schoolchildren about his experiences during the war.
He wrote to the children at James Brindley Community Primary School in Salford and was invited to read his letter in person to the Year 6 class.
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He said sharing his experiences with the children was important to him.
“I think people should know about what we went through,” he told Sky News.
“There were no films, no pictures about it. There were no reporters in Burma, no photographers. So I think people should know about it – the conditions that we lived in were shocking.”
Mr Jones and his wife
The VE Mail project has been launched to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2025.
As part of the initiative, run by the Together coalition and Royal Mail, schools across the UK can apply to get a personalised letter from a Second World War veteran.
Pupils will then be able to write their own letters in response.
Tom’s letter detailed his experiences working as a wireless operator in the Burmese jungle, serving alongside the Gurkhas, who he described as the “very best” of soldiers.
His story of being chased by a wild elephant while training in India drew delighted smiles from the class.
Mr Jones visiting the school in Salford
He also brought in a Morse code machine, which he demonstrated by typing out some of the children’s names.
“He amazed me,” said Jetty Bammeke, one of the Year 6 pupils. “Some of his stories were funny, some were sad.
“He told us how he made friends and missed his wife dearly. He did a great job serving his community and fighting in the war.”
Adele Jewell, who is head of history at the school, says the project has helped pupils connect with what they are learning about the war.
“Having someone who is experienced and can tell their story and their journey engages the children in a way that we could not possibly do,” she told Sky News.
“Children now are using devices for writing and text. Actually writing letters gives them that chance to think about vocabulary and how they can express themselves.”
Schools can apply to take part in the project on the Together website at together.org.uk.
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