Google Cloud outage disrupts UK banking and essential services

A significant technical outage in the Google Cloud ‘europe-west2’ data centre in London began shortly after 7:00 AM UK time on October 20, 2026. The incident has caused widespread disruptions to major financial institutions, delivery companies, and government portals across Western Europe. Affected entities include Revolut, Lloyds, HSBC, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, DPD, and Royal Mail, while users also reported issues with NHS England and government websites.

Revolut confirmed that users were unable to log in, process card payments, or withdraw cash, though the company stated that all customer funds and data remain secure. Other banks, including Lloyds and Halifax, acknowledged difficulties with their mobile applications and online services. Google engineers are currently working to identify and resolve the fault within the data centre. While some services like NHS England were reported as affected, it has not been fully confirmed that every reported disruption is directly attributable to the Google Cloud incident.