New calls for all businesses to accept cash payments as matter of ‘national security’
A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to introduce a law that “requires the right to pay for goods and services with cash” and wants to see penalties introduced for those refusing to accept cash payments. Petition creator Christopher Martin Jones argues introducing new legislation is an “urgent matter of national security”.
The petition argues the “threat to a cashless society consists of total societal collapse arising from the collapse of digital payment networks or the underlying electrical power networks they depend on”. It adds: “We believe that both systems could be vulnerable to cyber attacks by aggressors and solar storms of Carrington event magnitude.”
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The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking on September 1-2. It created strong auroral displays that were reported globally and caused sparking and even fires in telegraph stations.
The ‘Require all businesses and public services to accept cash payments’ has been posted on the UK Government’s petitions parliament website where it has almost reached the 10,000 signature threshold. This milestone entitles the petition to a written response from the UK Government, at 100,000 it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.
You can read the full petition online here.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) recorded a rise in the use of cash for the second year in a row, accounting for 19.9 per cent of transactions in 2023, up from 18.8 per cent in 2022. This is equivalent to one in five transactions being paid for in cash.
Debit cards remained the most common method of payment, making up nearly two-thirds (62.0%) of transactions in 2023. Debit and credit cards combined made up over three-quarters of transactions.
The total number of transactions rose from 19.6 billion to 21.0bn while the average amount spent per transaction fell from £22.43 to £22.03.
Card fees paid by retailers continued to grow and the total amount paid by retailers to banks and card schemes rose by over 25 per cent in 2023, bringing the total amount in card fees paid to £1.64bn, according to the BRC’s estimates.
Chris Owen, payments policy adviser at the BRC, said: “Persistent inflation and the cost of living crisis continued to affect households across the country and many consumers used cash to budget more effectively.
“However, the dominance of card payments continues apace.”
Data for the BRC payments survey was gathered in 2024 and covers the 2023 calendar year.
