When is the government allowed to use the emergency alerts?
UK government defends use of emergency alert system after warning of wildfires is criticised by Conservative MP
A Conservative MP has criticised the government for sending millions of people an emergency alert to warn of the growing wildfire risk.
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James Cleverly told LBC that No 10 is "misusing" the communication and said that people will "ignore future messages" after he deemed the alert on Friday to be "less urgent".
The alert was sent out at 7pm across England and Wales on August 14 and warned against lighting anything that could spark a wildfire, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks.
Mr Cleverly told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "People will get into the habit of ignoring them if the government keeps using it for less urgent things like this.
"Then if we do need to warn the country at short notice, people will ignore the warnings, completely undermining the whole idea of this emergency communication system."
The government said: "Our first duty is to keep people safe [and the message was sent]after a direct request from fire and rescue services on the front line."
When is the government allowed to use the emergency alerts?
The government introduced the alert system in 2023 to "warn you if there’s an emergency nearby which might put your life in danger".
This could be for a national emergency, an environmental crisis such as flooding or wildfire, or a public health emergency.
The first messages were sent to all phones with 4G or 5G in the UK in 2023 with a test message, and users found they pinged through even if their device was silenced or turned off. The second such test was completed in 2025.
An alert will include a phone number or a link to the GOV.UK website for more information, and you will receive alerts based on your current location - not where you live or work.
Messages in Wales are sent in both English and Welsh.
The government flagged ahead of the alert on Friday that it would be sent out from 7pm for what was the most extensive use of the alert system in response to an event.