UK Government Advises Households to Prepare Emergency Supplies

The UK government has recommended that households keep three days' worth of bottled water and tinned food ready for a crisis, such as a war, an online attack or a natural disaster. Wes Streeting said people should also have baby food, torches and mobile phone charging packs prepared in case of an emergency.

The government said people do not need to buy everything at once. Instead, it advises that households build up their readiness gradually.

Not everyone finds the advice easy to follow. Samantha Richards, 47, is a single mum who works full-time. She relies on universal credit and her son's disability allowance. She already has torches and blankets, and she never lets food in the house completely run out. However, her autistic son's safe foods need a fridge and freezer, which she says makes planning harder. She said the call to prepare reminded her of the survival of the fittest.

Prof Ruth Patrick of the University of Glasgow said the guidance will appear at best tone deaf and at worst almost insulting to 14 million households facing poverty in the UK. She leads the Changing Realities project, a collaboration between more than 200 parents and carers on a low income.

Others have different views. Ana, founder of UK Preppers Club, is 42 years old and lives in Swansea. She said she was disappointed the government announcement did not explain what to do in an emergency. Donna Lloyd, 60, is a supply teacher in Denbighshire. She has been preparing with her wife since a power cut during the Covid lockdown.

Yasmin Ibison of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said preparing for emergencies was sensible. The foundation's cost of living tracker, published in July 2026, reported that 7.4 million low-income families were unable to afford essential items in the last six months. The same tracker reported that 1.5 million UK households used a food bank in the past six months.

These figures show that many families are finding it hard to meet everyday costs. According to BBC News, the debate is over how practical the advice is for households with little money to spare.