The key facts
- Defence Secretary Wes Streeting called on citizens and businesses to prepare for natural disasters, cyberattacks and actions by hostile states
- The 'Be Ready' campaign has been launched: three days' worth of food, water, a torch and first aid supplies, plus an FM radio for emergency alerts
- Earlier the NAO warned of vulnerable food supply chains, while the Environment Secretary linked risks to El Niño
Call for readiness
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said that the public and businesses need to think more about how they would cope with natural disasters, cyberattacks or state-sponsored terrorism. Speaking on Thursday at the opening of the UK Gun Hall Plant in Telford, where the return of tank gun barrel production to the UK was announced, he noted the 'everyday challenges' facing households. Streeting pointed to wildfires this summer and expected winter floods, and warned of 'increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks' on businesses and supply chain disruptions by 'hostile state actors or terrorists'. 'How would we cope if payment systems failed at the local supermarket?' he said, adding that it is right to ask the country to be ready for such things and for everyone to play their part.
The 'Be Ready' campaign
The government is launching a 'national conversation about resilience' to raise awareness, including the 'Be Ready' campaign. It recommends that households keep three days' worth of supplies: non-perishable food, bottled water, a torch, sleeping bags and first aid items, as well as an FM radio for receiving news during outages and written-down frequencies of national and local radio stations. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said these recommendations would allow emergency services to prioritise people needing greater support and would 'boost the nation's resilience'. He added that the campaign follows the example of European countries such as France, Ireland and the Netherlands, where such advice is 'a normal part of everyday life'.
Previous warnings
Last month, Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said that the strongest El Niño phenomenon in a generation forming over the Pacific would bring 'more extreme storms to this country', and called on households to stockpile food. Her comments came against the backdrop of a report by the National Audit Office (NAO), which warned that the UK's food supply chain is vulnerable to outbreaks of plant and human diseases, cyberattacks and extreme weather. The NAO noted that Defra has in recent years paid insufficient attention to supply chain resilience, and that British households are less prepared for emergencies than in a number of other countries, such as Finland and Sweden.
National security strategy
The national security strategy launched last year warned that the UK must 'actively prepare for the possibility of a direct threat to the country, potentially in a military scenario'. The document stated that the country is 'in an era of confrontation with those who threaten security', citing Russia's war against Ukraine and 'Iranian hostile activity on British territory'. The government said that building national resilience means reducing dependence on others and ensuring supply chain resilience and energy security 'even in crisis times'.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images 
The defence secretary on Thursday spoke at the opening of the UK Gun Hall Plant in Telford, Shropshire
