Joining forces to strengthen UK resilience

Connecting for continuity in a crisis

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  • April 2026

Disruption no longer happens in isolation. Threats interact, overlap and cascade. In a turbulent and increasingly interconnected world, the resilience of the UK's Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) demands a fundamentally different approach.

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Commissioned by the National Preparedness Commission, this PwC report sets out to understand why, despite years of research into national resilience, the UK's CNI remains vulnerable. And what needs to change.

Grounded in research interviews with CNI leaders from private enterprise, the public sector, government departments and industry bodies, it offers practical, evidence-based recommendations to safeguard the critical national functions that underpin the fundamentals of our society.

The report explores:

  • Systems thinking over silos
  • Defining a 'Minimum Viable UK'
  • Public-private collaboration
  • A new model for cross-sector coordination
  • Incentives, regulation and investment
  • Lessons from financial services

The only way to achieve resilience at scale is to build a whole-system model — and we must build it fast.

Explore our report

Connecting for continuity in a crisis: Joining forces to strengthen UK resilience

(PDF of 950.84KB)

Contact us

Bobbie Ramsden-Knowles

Bobbie Ramsden-Knowles

Crisis and resilience Partner, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7483 422701

Sean Withington

Sean Withington

Senior Manager, Geopolitical Risk, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7594 174317

Chris Scudamore

Chris Scudamore

Partner, UK Leader for Central Government, Capital Projects & Infrastructure, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7841 803132

Rachel Taylor

Rachel Taylor

Leader of Industry for Government and Health Industries, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7841 783022

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