The United Kingdom is asking its citizens to prepare for a 72-hour state of emergency, an unforeseen event in a time of hybrid warfare, ranging from a mass blackout to sabotage against Russian infrastructure. The recommendation seems simple: Stock up on water, food and basic supplies. The problem is that millions of Britons struggle every week to buy what they need to survive. And the new national security plan raises an uncomfortable question: How does someone who is already a permanent resident prepare for a crisis?
Three days to live. As we said, the British government launched the Be Ready campaign, which recommends that all households without normal access to food, water or essential services have adequate supplies for 72 hours. The list includes nine liters of bottled water per person, non-perishable food, blankets, flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, FM radio, external batteries and cash.
These include hygiene products, medicines, baby items and pet food. Authorities recommend stockpiling these products gradually, including one or two additional items with normal purchases, and reviewing reserves every six months.
Russia enters the equation. The campaign comes, no doubt, against a backdrop of growing concerns about hybrid attacks, sabotage and electronic warfare against European infrastructure. The British government fears that “hostile actors” could disrupt payment systems, communications, power supplies or distribution chains.
Indeed, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that state-sponsored threats are real and increasingly affecting the UK directly. Emphasizing the need to strengthen the preparedness of the civilian population, he also noted that Europe could face many more military threats by 2030.
Trouble making ends meet. The initiative has drawn criticism for disconnecting many families from their economic status. According to a July 2026 report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 7.4 million low-income households were unable to afford essential items in the past six months, while 1.5 million households turned to food banks.
Yasmin Ibison, an adviser to the foundation, raised a dilemma: If millions of people are having difficulty paying for food, heating and basic hygiene products, it is difficult to ask them to buy additional stocks. For these families, preparing for an emergency represents a cost that directly competes with immediate needs.
Lack of sensitivity, at best. Ruth Patrick, professor at the University of Glasgow and head of the Changing Realities project, told the BBC that she found the government’s recommendations “at best insensitive and at worst looking like the worst for the 14 million households currently facing poverty across the UK.” His criticism points to the distance between national security claims and the reality of families unable to meet their daily expenses.
The case of Samantha Richards, a 47-year-old single mother who works full-time and receives social benefits, illustrates this situation. Buying extra supplies means giving up some of your childcare budget during the school holidays. Also, the minor is autistic and requires certain foods that require refrigeration, which would complicate an emergency with an electrical outage.
Confusion over who can prepare. Critics also question the utility of limiting recommendations to shopping lists. Anna, founder of the UK Preparers Club group, argues that preparedness should be available to everyone and should be accompanied by practical instructions on what to do if running water disappears, electricity fails or a family needs to be reunited in an emergency.
Other voices demand first aid training, water purification methods and options to keep essential equipment working. The shared concern is that the ability to cope with a crisis depends on the income, available space at home and the knowledge of each household.
Government response. British authorities maintain that the campaign aims to improve household resilience and reduce pressure on emergency services, so they can prioritize the most vulnerable. They emphasize that one does not need to buy all the products at once and it is recommended to build up stock little by little.
If you will, the plan appears to follow similar recommendations from France, Ireland and the Netherlands, at a time when extreme weather events and reliance on digital infrastructure raise concerns about potential disruptions. In any case, the debate it leaves open is how well a universal preparedness strategy can work when a significant portion of the population doesn’t have the resources to pursue it.
Picture | RawPixels
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