Presenter Eamonn Holmes has said he believes the terrifying 'Armageddon alarm' can only be for two things – and neither of them are good.
See what he thinks it's for here, although we should point out that it's purely speculation, as neither have been confirmed by the government...
The new public alert system is designed to warn Brits about impending disasters they need to be aware of, and is modelled after similar examples used in the US, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands – which let people know about disasters like flooding or wildfires in their area.
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Mobile phone users across the UK will be sent a siren-like emergency warning which will leave people unable to do anything else with them until they acknowledge that they've seen the alert.
These alarms are meant to warn members of the public of potential threats around them that could pose a 'danger to life', with a test due to take place on 23 April.
After being announced, the system was praised by many for potentially saving lives, with Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, saying: “It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe.”
Others, however, couldn’t help but feel a little shaken by what’s been dubbed the ‘Armageddon alarm’, including GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes.
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Speaking about the new system alongside his morning co-host Isabel Webster, he said: “I’m thinking there’s only two reasons why they would want to buzz your phone and make us all aware.
“One is nuclear attack, and the second is alien invasion.”
Holmes continued: “You see, I sit here and I think everybody laughs about this, but why does somebody want to ring my phone without me asking for it?”
Webster then cut in to say: “It’s commonly used in the States, in the Netherlands […] They do actually buzz people’s phones whenever there’s a hurricane coming, or in the case of Covid there was lots of advice given through the system.”
When Holmes sarcastically asked when she thought the ‘next hurricane would hit us’, Webster replied: “I don’t know what the reason is here, but I guess it's just post-pandemic precautions.”
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Her co-presenter then went on: “No, it’s because they think there’s going to be nuclear missiles fired from Russia, or they’re aware of something, or they’re aware there's been an alien invasion.”
Webster quickly turned to the camera and stressed that ‘we don’t know that’, as Holmes’ comments were merely speculation on his part.
“We have to point out we don’t know that, but what we also don’t know is why Downing Street wants to do this, and I’m just putting the question out there,” Holmes concluded.
The Cabinet Office has said that the warnings are secure one-way communications which will be free to receive and put nobody's personal data at risk.
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Alerts sent out will also contain information about the type of threat a person is facing along with instructions about how best to respond to the danger.
In time this alert could be extended to cover terrorist incidents, but officials have admitted they need much more information about how the alarm works before using it for a rapidly developing situation.
LADbible has reached out to Downing Street for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, News, UK News, Eamonn Holmes
Jess Hardiman