Government Defends Phone Alert as Wildfires Burn On
The government said the nationwide emergency phone alert over wildfire risk was “entirely appropriate”, rejecting an accusation from a Conservative MP that the system had been misused. Four major fire incidents remained ongoing, with the promised rain still yet to arrive, and ministers separately faced criticism as “irresponsible” for not publishing emergency drought plans. Cooler, wetter weather is forecast in the coming days.
The government’s robust defence of the alert closes ranks around a system that has taken a week of criticism — over its blanket reach, its language ordering in Wales, and the risk to those hiding phones from abusers — and signals ministers would use it again. The sharper charge may be the one about preparation: campaigners argue that a state which can push an alarm to every phone has still not published the drought contingency plans that would show what it intends to do about the underlying emergency. With fires still burning and the rain a promise rather than a fact, the argument about readiness will outlast the smoke. Watch whether the drought plans appear and how the alert criteria are clarified.