Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has told British households to prepare for possible food shortages and disruption caused by cyber attacks, as the government launches a national resilience campaign.
Wes Streeting has urged people in Britain to prepare for possible food shortages caused by cyber attacks, warning that hostile actors could disrupt essential supply chains and everyday services.
The Defence Secretary made the comments as the government launched its “national resilience conversation”, asking households and businesses to prepare for risks ranging from cyber attacks and extreme weather to disruption caused by hostile states.
Government guidance encourages people to keep a three-day supply of non-perishable food and bottled water, alongside items including an FM radio and blankets.
Streeting said people should consider how they would cope if critical systems stopped working.
He said: “How would we cope if the payment systems at the local supermarket went down? Those are the sorts of our everyday challenges we could face, and it’s right that we ask the country to be ready for those things.”
The Labour MP also asked whether households were prepared for “increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks” and disruptions to essential supply chains.
The warning comes as a vulnerability in PHP, a widely used element of website infrastructure, has caused disruption to online services.
Government services were among those affected, while some garages reportedly had to record MOT results using pen and paper.
The National Cyber Security Centre has advised website operators to take systems offline if they cannot respond to the vulnerability immediately.
Streeting said the public needed to view national resilience as an important part of national defence as Britain faces increasingly complex cyber and “grey-zone” threats.
Britain’s food supply is particularly exposed to disruption because of its international supply chains.
A National Audit Office report published in September warned that the risks facing the food system were becoming more likely and potentially more severe, including from cyber attacks, extreme weather and disease.
The NAO has called for greater cooperation between government, businesses, households and communities to prepare for major disruptions.
The government’s resilience campaign is intended to encourage households to take simple precautions rather than prepare for a specific emergency.
Officials have said the three-day supply recommendation is also used in countries including France, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Streeting’s comments come amid wider government efforts to strengthen Britain’s defences against cyber threats.
The National Risk Register already identifies cyber attacks as a risk requiring national preparedness, while ministers have been developing measures to improve resilience across critical infrastructure.
Wes Streeting urges Brits to prepare for food shortages in the event of cyber attacks
