Streeting urges households to prepare for supply chain disruption from cyber and climate emergencies

Government calls for readiness

Speaking in Telford on Thursday, Streeting urged the public to prepare for increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks and supply chain disruption caused by hostile state actors or terrorists. He said people across the country should be ready and do their part.

Advice for households

The Be Ready campaign encourages households to keep enough supplies to manage for three days. Suggested items include non-perishable food, bottled water, a torch, sleeping bags and first aid supplies.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the guidance would allow emergency services to prioritise people who need more support during crises. He said he hoped it would improve national resilience.

Warnings about threats

The government says it wants to improve preparedness for emergencies, including those linked to increasingly likely severe weather and cyber attacks by hostile states. Last month, Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said El Niño would bring more extreme storms to the country and advised households to stock up on food.

The National Audit Office said Defra had not done enough in recent years to strengthen supply chain resilience. It also said UK households were less prepared for emergencies than households in countries including Finland and Sweden.

Security concerns cited

The National Audit Office described the UK as being in an era of confrontation with those threatening security. It referred to Russia’s war against Ukraine and Iranian hostile activity on British soil.