Wes Streeting has urged Brits to stockpile items like water and tinned foods ahead of winter as part of the Government's 'Be Ready' campaign, but the BBC Question Time audience laughed and argued it was 'scaremongering'.
Question Time panel discusses proxy world war
The first question to be discussed on this week's Question Time held in Scunthorpe was "Are we already in a proxy world war?"
On the panel this week were Labour's defence secretary Wes Streeting, the Conservatives' shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat, the Green Party's Ellie Chowns, economist and journalist Stephanie Flanders, and comedian Geoff Norcott.
Streeting explains the 'Be Ready' campaign
Fiona said: "Wes, tell us about this, because the government has launched this campaign for national resilience... what are we supposed to be doing in terms of tins and water?"
Wes Streeting responded: "So, today the Government launched a 'Be Ready' campaign. And what we had in mind when the campaign was being prepared was about some of the everyday threats we face, we've seen the wildfires this summer, we'll be thinking ahead worried about flooding this winter and what happens if the water pipes burst in the freezing cold, as can happen.
"It's about saying to households that you can be ready by having three litres of bottled water per person per day to last you three days. Have some tinned goods that will last you a few days that might not require the microwave or the stove to heat up. Have you got first aid kits? Do you have a battery powered torch? Do you have a portable charging pack for your mobile phone? Just really practical things that I think all of us could do with."
He added: "We want to get the country ready, there's not a specific thing we've got in mind when we put this out but of course those things I've just listed that might help you through some powercuts or it might also help you through if your local shop is subject to a cyber attack and your card isn't working at the till."
Audience and panel react
An audience member questioned Wes, saying: "Don't you think that's just scaremongering? Because people then go and panic buy which then affects us again."
Tom Tugendhat stepped in and said: "Having some personal resilience is something that many people do already. Forgive me madam, I don't agree with you, I think the British people that by and large are pretty sensible."
To which the audience laughed and Fiona interjected: "Who can forget how many loo rolls we bought under the pandemic?" Tom responded: "I don't think it's a big ask to ask people to have a couple of days of supply."
Wes went on to explain the Government want people "to be alert but not alarmed".
BBC Question Time returns in Warwick next week.
