Microsoft Outage Disrupts Several UK Government Services

Several UK government institutions reported disruptions to their services following problems with Microsoft systems, according to their official announcements published on November 13.

The Insolvency Service reported problems with sending and receiving emails. In an update published at 16:30, the institution said the difficulties were decreasing, although further short interruptions remained possible. It also stated that users could contact it again through normal channels.

The Security Industry Authority reported that some of its systems were affected, but licensing operations continued. These included issuing, refusing, revoking and suspending licences. The authority warned that responses could be delayed and that emails might not arrive within the usual timeframe.

The Planning Inspectorate reported a more significant disruption. Its digital appeals service was unavailable and new applications were temporarily suspended over the weekend. The institution said it intended to restore the service on Monday, November 16. Previously scheduled hearings, public inquiries and site visits were expected to continue as planned.

These official announcements document practical consequences for several public services in the United Kingdom. They do not establish the full worldwide scale of the Microsoft outage or explain its technical cause. The reported effects and operational measures differ between institutions.