UK LAUNCHES NATIONAL ‘BE READY’ CAMPAIGN

A recent series of messages, commentaries, and articles in the United Kingdom (UK) about the need for the population to prepare for emergencies has now been condensed into a new national policy and campaign called ‘Be Ready’.

Over the past few weeks, residents have been bombarded with numerous announcements, in varying degrees of urgency, advising them to stock up on emergency supplies.

Politicians, including government ministers, have joined the chorus, which invariably led to questions from the public about what they should stock up on and why.

In response, the mantra from the British government has been ‘be alert, not alarmed’, and ‘preparedness not panic’.

Much of the suggested state of readiness has been linked to weather uncertainties, cybersecurity threats, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. The US-Iran war has had a costly impact on global supply chains and fuel prices, and in Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine there are concerns about a further escalation ensnaring European countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) - including the UK. There have also been several incidents of outages affecting vital national internet, electricity, and transportation services, which in some cases have been blamed on external agencies and ‘bad actors’.

Against this background, the British government has formally launched a three-year ‘Be Ready’ national information campaign.

Regarding the defence element, the UK’s Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, has said the UK’s adversaries could be in a position to attack the country by 2030. “That gives us a little over 1,000 days to complete our mission: to be ready with our allies to fight and win. This Government will make sure it is mission accomplished.”

The government has also given a commitment to increase defence spending in the first budget of the new Labour Party administration of Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

On the direct issue of the national ‘Be Ready’ emergency supplies campaign, Defence Minister Streeting has stated: “Having a few everyday essentials at home, from tinned food to torches, helps households prepare for disruption, whether that’s flooding, power cuts or burst pipes. We can all play our part in making Britain more resilient.”

With more clarity now about stocking up on emergency supplies, many supermarkets and shops across the country are reporting a surge in bulk purchases of essential items, in line with the government’s ‘Be Ready’ priority list.

A new UK government website has also been launched with a downloadable checklist advising the public that “from severe weather to cyber attacks, emergencies can disrupt the services you rely on. Being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those in need.”

It gives a detailed plan of items to be included in an emergency priority list, such as adequate cash, long-lasting food items along with battery and manual wind-up radios, candles, emergency lights, and other items normally purchased for camping trips.

It also lists copies of IDs and other documents, essential medication and medical supplies.

The UK is not the only country to have recently urged its citizens to prepare emergency supplies. Many European Union countries, Canada, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan have also embarked on similar campaigns focusing on the risks of war, extreme weather, and cyberattacks.