UK supply chain unprepared for major shocks such as war, report warns

Britain’s vital supply chains are unprepared for the prospect of a major shock such as war with Russia, and bold steps are needed to catch up with “worst-case scenario” planning by European states, ministers have been warned.

Donald Trump’s “America First” transformation of the US, which has made what was once a trusted UK ally a much less reliable partner, should also feed into that planning, according to a new report.

The warnings are contained in research by the National Preparedness Commission (NPC), which promotes national crisis planning and is overseen by a panel including senior figures from emergency services, the NHS and experts on risk and security.

The calls coincide with continuing concern over the impact of the war in the Middle East on fuel costs and the prices of food and other goods in the UK, which saw the government recently ask supermarkets to consider freezing the prices of some essentials.

The report, launched privately at Westminster last week, puts a spotlight on the resilience of Britain’s supply chain and how it could be tested by looming dangers ranging from a fresh pandemic, the climate crisis or what is now focusing the minds of officials: a war with Russia.

It said that Britain is lagging behind other European countries when it comes to the stockpiling of supplies such as critical medicines, and called for fresh thinking.

“The conversation in government should shift from why we should not stockpile to how and where we might most sensibly do it. It is easy to forget that during the pandemic the UK benefited from medicines that had been stockpiled to pre-empt disrupted supplies on leaving the EU,” it said.

In terms of stockpiling for the health sector alone, it noted that medicine suppliers are required to hold at least eight weeks of buffer stock for hospitals, but compliance is patchy and not mandated for pharmacies serving primary care.

The government also has no intention to produce a critical medicines list or to strategically stockpile critical medicines or medical equipment, it added, other than to assist military personnel in the event of a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) attack.

By contrast, many EU states require pharmaceutical companies to hold buffer stocks of designated medicines ranging from one month to six months.

When it comes to food supply, the UK is one of the least self-sufficient countries in Europe. The government neither has a strategic stockpile nor does it require big wholesalers and distributors to hold buffer stocks. By contrast, countries such as Norway and Sweden have begun to rebuild emergency grain and food reserves while other EU states proactively encourage households to store several days’ worth of food and water for emergencies.