LONDON
The British government will tell the public to stock up on tinned food and water to prepare for emergency situations such as extreme weather or cyber-attacks, according to a Financial Times report.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will advise the public to be prepared as the new government is focusing on national resilience in the wake of threats from Russia and this summer’s heat waves.
The news came after Moscow recently said there would be “consequences” for the UK providing Ukraine with British-made drones used for strikes in Russia.
However, in a Monday speech outside Kyiv’s St. Sophia cathedral marking the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, Burnham said he would not be deterred from providing aid to Ukraine.
According to the report, the government is accelerating work on its “war book,” a manual for the defense of the nation against external threats – as well as planning a social media campaign with advice to help people to deal with the impacts of extreme weather, such as the heat waves which have hit the country this summer.
A source told the financial daily: “There will be practical advice on things you can do to improve domestic resilience, like having some bottled water and tinned food. It will be common sense, not scaremongering.”
Last month, the government updated its national risk register, with the risk of interference in the UK’s democratic process added to it.
Experts are also said to have warned that extreme heat and ongoing droughts are putting the UK at risk of its “worst food security crisis in decades.”
