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Societal Impact Statement: In 2018, a breeding population of the European spruce bark‐beetle, Ips typographus, was discovered in woodland in southeast England. Ips typographus is a major forest pest in continental Europe; however, despite previous findings at ports and sawmills, this was the first recorded infestation in the UK. The number of generations per year (voltinism) varies with latitude and altitude. Applying a phenological model, we find that the current climate in southern UK could support two generations, while temperature accumulation in parts of Scotland may be insufficient to support one generation. Global warming will increase voltinism and hence the risk of establishment. Summary: The European spruce bark‐beetle, Ips typographus, is a major pest of Norway spruce across mainland Europe; however, until 2018, it was considered absent from the United Kingdom (UK). The finding of a breeding population of I. typographus in Kent, England, in 2018 and subsequent findings in pheromone traps across the southeast of England, has led to an urgent need to improve understanding of environmental suitability across the UK.Two distinct published phenological models for I. typographus, developed in Sweden and Austria, were adapted for use in the UK and validated against pheromone trap data collected at the original site of infestation and in the surrounding area from 2019 to 2022.Both models captured some, but not all, of the within‐season variation in trap catches. One, the PHENIPS model, more accurately captured early season flight patterns. The climate in the southeast of England is mild enough to facilitate two generations of the beetle, while further north the pest is expected to be univoltine. At high altitude in Scotland, there is insufficient thermal warming within a season for the completion of one annual generation.Phenological modelling does not explain why the pest failed to establish in England prior to 2018 including when a large amount of infested material was imported to sawmills in the 1940s. Under 2 and 3°C global warming scenarios, we might expect to see an increase in potential voltinism across the UK in the next few decades, increasing the risk of large outbreaks of I. typographus were it allowed to establish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]