25. Terrorism and cyber attacks are main threats to UK, national security strategy finds

Terrorism and cyber attacks are main threats to UK, national security strategy finds

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• Hélène Mulholland, Richard Norton-Taylor and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 October 2010 16.52 BST

 Photograph: Steve Caplin for the Guardian

Britain is under a "potent threat" of attack from al-Qaida, the government said today, publishing a report that also highlighted terrorism linked to Northern Ireland as a serious risk.

In a joint statement, David Cameron and Nick Clegg said there needed to be a "radical transformation" in the way Britain thinks about and organises its national security.

The Tory-Lib Dem coalition government's first national security strategy says terrorism and cyber attacks are currently the main threats facing the UK. It identifies four "tier one" risks that, it says, must be the government's highest priority.

The other major threats are a large-scale accident or natural hazard such as pandemic flu and an international military crisis that could draw in the UK and its allies.

A second series of "tier two" priorities include an attack by another state or its proxy using weapons of mass destruction, a civil war or other instability that terrorists could exploit to threaten the UK, and a significant increase in the level of organised crime.

Also listed as a "tier two" priority is the threat of severe disruption to information received or transmitted by satellites, possibly as the result of a deliberate attack by another state.

A large-scale conventional military attack on the UK is rated only as a "tier three" priority alongside disruption to oil and gas supplies and a large-scale radioactive release from a civil nuclear site.

Other "tier three" risks include a significant increase in the numbers of terrorists, organised criminals or illegal immigrants trying to enter the UK, an attack on another Nato or EU member or a UK overseas territory, and the disruption of essential supplies such as food or minerals.

The publication of the strategy comes ahead of the release tomorrow of the strategic defence and security review, which will set out the future shape of the armed forces.

In a joint foreword to the strategy, Cameron and Clegg said: "We are entering an age of uncertainty. This strategy is about gearing Britain up for this new age of uncertainty – weighing up the threats we face and preparing to deal with them," they said.

"As g Government, we have inherited a defence and security structure that is woefully unsuitable for the world we live in today. We are determined to learn from those mistakes and make the changes needed."

In a written ministerial statement, Cameron said the UK faced a "complex array of threats from a myriad of sources".

The prime minister said: "Our objectives are ensuring a secure and resilient United Kingdom, and shaping a stable world.

"In pursuit of these goals, our highest priorities are tackling terrorism, cyber security, international military crises and natural disasters such as floods and pandemics.

"We will draw together and use all the instruments of national power to tackle these risks, including the armed forces, diplomats, intelligence and development professionals, the police, the private sector and the British people themselves."

Speaking earlier today, May said that 51% of malicious software threats that have ever been identified occurred in 2009.

The home secretary said: "It's a threat to government, it's a threat to businesses and indeed to personal security. We have identified this as a new and growing threat in the UK."

Iain Lobban, the director of GCHQ, the government's eavesdropping and encrypting agency, last week used his first public speech to call for an aggressive approach to cyber attacks, and warned of the dangers of adopting the sort of defensive strategy famously symbolised by France's Maginot line, which was meant to repel the Germans and failed.

On international terrorism, May said Britain now faced a "very serious threat". "That is why we have a threat level that is at 'severe', which means an attack is highly likely," she said. "We must all be vigilant."

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said ahead of today's statement: "The government seem to be producing a reheated security strategy to provide cover for a rushed defence spending review, rather than producing a renewed and careful consideration of the UK's defence and security priorities.

"The government should show renewed vigour in the process towards a political settlement in Afghanistan, led by the Afghans, while supporting our 10,000 troops with the resources they need in creating the conditions on the ground for a more stable country."