A senior UK minister has been designated as Britain's "designated survivor", deliberately staying away from major national events and gatherings to ensure continuity of government should disaster strike those in attendance. The practice, borrowed from a long-standing US convention, has taken on fresh significance in Britain following Boris Johnson's near-fatal bout of Covid-19 while prime minister in 2020, and amid heightened concern over Russian threats to national security.

The arrangement means one senior figure in the government is kept away from occasions where large numbers of ministers, MPs or the royal family are gathered, so that a functioning line of leadership survives even if a catastrophic attack or accident were to strike the assembled dignitaries. The measure reflects growing official concern about state-level threats and mass-casualty risks, prompting the UK to formalise contingency planning that mirrors precautions long taken by the United States government.