Politics
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has urged citizens to keep at least three days’ worth of essential food, water and other basic supplies at home to prepare for potential emergencies.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has urged citizens to keep at least three days’ worth of essential food, water and other basic supplies at home to prepare for potential emergencies. He warned that increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks could disrupt essential public services and supply chains.
According to British broadcaster LBC, Streeting said on Thursday that the government wanted households and businesses to assess their preparedness for a crisis and understand what steps they should take if essential services were temporarily disrupted.
The statement comes after serious software security vulnerability forced 32 UK government online services to be taken temporarily offline. According to reports, cybercriminals had attempted to exploit the vulnerability, while organisations around the world were working to address the issue. Streeting warned that people could face difficulties if payment systems at supermarkets stopped working or deliveries of essential goods were disrupted by hostile states or terrorist activities. He stressed that encouraging the public to prepare for emergencies was not intended to spread fear, but to ensure that people remained alert without panicking.
Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has also supported advice urging citizens to stockpile essential supplies. He said the UK’s critical infrastructure faces various threats on a daily basis, making it important to take those risks seriously. Last week, British Army chief General Sir Roly Walker also warned that the country could face defence threats in the future. He said citizens should be prepared to discuss the potential sacrifices that might be required for national defence.
