# Paranoid or practical? Britain’s ‘Be Ready’ citizen campaign

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/paranoid-or-practical-britains-be-ready-citizen-campaign/
- Published: 2026-11-14T05:51:42+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T10:43:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Al Jazeera (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/11/14/paranoid-or-practical-britains-be-ready-citizen?traffic_source=rss
- Topics: Elections, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Households are being asked to prepare for 72 hours without essential services.
- Sales of bottled water rose 67 per cent in the campaign’s first 10 days.
- Officials cite emergency readiness and risks to critical infrastructure.

## Summary

The UK government’s “Be Ready” campaign is urging households in England and Wales to prepare to cope for 72 hours without electricity, water, phone or internet services during a national emergency. Officials say this would allow emergency services to focus on people in greater need, while the campaign has prompted some shoppers to stock up quickly.

In the first 10 days after its launch on 22 October, bottled-water sales rose by 67 per cent, tinned and jarred food by 37 per cent, and hand-sanitiser sales by 83 per cent; some retailers also sold out of radios, torches and power banks. The advice includes long-life food, water, cash, medication and warm clothing. Government and university surveys point to gaps in public preparedness, and the campaign also reflects concerns about severe weather, cyberattacks and disruption to critical infrastructure.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.