UK to discuss cyber threats with international partners

The UK is to convene nations for talks on how to tackle the growing threat of cyber-attacks.

The meeting will take place at Wilton Park in West Sussex and follow recent high-profile incidents, including the global IT outage, an attack impacting NHS service providers, and attempts to disrupt London’s transport network.

Countries including EU member states, Canada, Japan and international organisations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will discuss how global cyber security workforces can be strengthened.

To aid the effort, the UK will commission a new report, with recommendations set to be published by the end of the year.

The government will also launch a new scheme to deliver tailored support across regions of England and Northern Ireland. This will fund initiatives which will directly address the cyber skills needs of individual areas.

Cyber Security Minister Feryal Clark said: "The UK needs a significant improvement in its cyber defences after the previous government failed to strengthen our cyber laws – we’re fixing that.

"Later this year, we’ll bring forward new measures to better protect the nation from cyber-crime and our new regional skills programme will support the next generation of cyber talent and innovators.

"But this is a shared challenge, which is why we’re bringing together global allies to discuss and agree steps to keep us safe online, improve cyber skills and protect our economy and public services."