Ministers have been accused of lecturing families about what they should keep in their cupboards in preparation for a national emergency.
The Government is urging households to store bottled water, tinned food, cash and toilet roll as part of a campaign preparing for a major crisis caused by extreme weather or a cyber attack.
Its Be Ready guide advises keeping nine litres of drinking water per person in case mains supplies are disrupted or shops remain closed for up to three days. It also recommends stocking meat, vegetables and fruit that can be eaten without cooking or refrigeration.
The suggested home survival kit includes a battery-powered or wind-up FM radio, a torch, a first aid kit and essential medication. Blankets are also advised in case of power cuts.
The Be Ready guidance further suggests identifying escape routes from the home and agreeing a meeting point with relatives in the event of a disaster. Families are also encouraged to complete a form listing details such as insurance policy numbers and the frequencies of their favourite radio stations.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said people should consider how they would respond if a natural disaster struck, hackers targeted businesses or terrorists disrupted supply chains.
‘How would we cope if the payment systems at the local supermarket went down?’ he asked during a visit on Thursday.
‘Those are the kinds of everyday challenges and threats we could well face. It is right that we ask the country to prepare for them and encourage everyone to do their bit.’
Ministers have been accused of lecturing families about what to keep in their cupboards in case of a national emergency. Pictured: Andy Burnham
Security minister Dan Jarvis said: ‘The storms last winter and the wildfires this summer have demonstrated how severe weather can disrupt daily life and affect essential services, including phones, power, water and the internet.’
Critics, however, described the advice as excessive and argued that Labour should concentrate on protecting the country by increasing funding for the Armed Forces and strengthening critical infrastructure, including power plants.
The campaign follows widespread anger over the Government’s decision during the summer to send emergency alerts to every mobile phone in the country warning that lighting barbecues could trigger wildfires.
Reform MP Danny Kruger, who is overseeing the party’s preparations for government, said: ‘Ministers should be doing their job, not telling families how to do theirs.
‘The Government needs to invest urgently in defence to deter aggressors and harden potential targets.
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‘With our undersea cables, military bases and civilian infrastructure exposed to Russian or Iranian attack, and our digital systems vulnerable to hackers anywhere in the world, a major increase in defence spending at next week’s Budget is critical.
‘Meanwhile, ordinary people need help with the cost of living, not bossy lectures about bottled water.’
Tory security spokesman Alicia Kearns said: ‘Preparing for emergencies is important.
‘But the Government should put its own house in order before lecturing the public. It is not families that are failing to fund our defence or secure reliable energy; it is Labour.
‘With threats to our national security increasing, we must all be prepared for every eventuality.
‘We each have a role to play, but the Government must lead by example.’
Lord Hannan, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: ‘Britain is not a country on the brink of catastrophe, and ministers should not behave as though it were.
‘The last thing we need is a Government encouraging people to panic. The purpose of government is to provide security and reassurance, not to frighten people into stockpiling tins of beans.’
And Dr Valentin Boboc, chief economist at the institute, added: ‘There is nothing wrong with encouraging households to be prepared for emergencies, but the Government should be careful not to create unnecessary alarm.
‘Talking up the prospect of a national crisis risks undermining consumer confidence at a time when households and businesses are already facing considerable economic uncertainty.
‘Ministers should focus on ensuring that our infrastructure, energy supplies and public services are resilient.’
John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘Taxpayers want emergency warnings for actual threats, not money wasted lecturing them on common sense.’
The Be Ready website tells households: ‘Being ready for three days helps you manage while support reaches those most in need.’
It advises: ‘Check your cupboards first to see what essentials you already keep at home’ and note down what is still needed.
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