Climate change, cyber-attacks, geopolitical shifts, and energy shocks could put Britain’s food supply at great risk

Maeve Cullinan

Global Health Security Reporter

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Maeve Cullinan is a reporter for The Telegraph’s Global Health Security desk. She covers issues including disease outbreaks, conflict, global development, humanitarian crises, and sexual violence and has reported from Africa and Asia. She was named on the Press 30 under 30 list in 2025.

Published 06 October 2026 3:55pm BST

Britain has no way to feed its population of 66 million people in a crisis, a letter addressed to the Prime Minister has warned.

Climate change, cyber-attacks, geopolitical shifts, and energy shocks could put Britain’s food supply at great risk – and the UK is “complacent”, the letter says.

The document was delivered to Andy Burnham on Monday and was signed by 180 experts including academics, farmers, local council leaders, and foodbank workers.

Britain’s food supply is now heavily globalised, with roughly…