Supermarkets blindsided by ‘shambolic’ stockpiling warning

Supermarkets have been caught off guard by the government’s “shambolic” campaign to urge Brits to stock up on supplies of food and water, industry sources told City AM. Retailers were not told the details of the government’s “Be Ready” campaign until days before it was announced and expected it to be a more “low key” affair, the people said. On Thursday, defence secretary Wes Streeting urged Brits to prepare three days’ worth of non-perishable food and bottled water, an FM radio and blankets in case of hybrid attacks by “hostile state actors or terrorists”. The defence secretary’s intervention headlined a three-year campaign designed to prepare Brits for the risks posed by technological dependency, hostile state threats and the impact of extreme weather on global supply chains. Government officials briefed retailers on the date of this announcement only last week, the people said, telling bosses the campaign would be “low key” and fronted by security minister Dan Jarvis.