Andy Burnham urges Britons to stockpile as he takes swipe at Angela Rayner

Andy Burnham urges Britons to stockpile as he takes swipe at Angela Rayner Prime Minister responds to Housing Secretary's joke of including alcohol in an emergency kit to use in a crisis Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Katie Harris , Senior Political Correspondent 11:24, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Updated: 11:31, Fri, Oct 23, 2026 Angela Rayner joked that wine would be in her emergency kit (Image: Getty) Andy Burnham has encouraged people to stockpile in case of a crisis – and taken a swipe Angela Rayner 's suggestion of keeping wine in her emergency box. The Government is urging Britons to keep essential items such as tinned food and bottled water in the event of a crisis as part of a new campaign. The Housing Secretary previously joked that a bottle of sauvignon blanc and mascara would be in her kit. But the Prime Minister insisted alcohol should not be the priority when stocking up. Asked if wine would also be part of his emergency box, Mr Burnham said: “I’m not sure that that’s the top of the list in terms of the advice that we’re giving to the public. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The 9 items Brits must stockpile after new warning Households told to stockpile food, water and medicine in new warning Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . “You need to have a clear head when it comes to a challenging situation. So yeah, some tins of food, some bottled water. But I’m sure people are allowed a glass or two as well to get them through a difficult situation." Under the "be ready" campaign, households are being urged to prepare for everyday services being temporarily disrupted by stocking three days' worth of key supplies. The checklist advises stocking up with three days’ worth of bottled water and non-perishable food, a battery-powered or wind-up FM radio to receive updates during outages, and cash in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Defence Secretary Wes Streeting defended the campaign against accusations of "scaremongering" on Thursday's Question Time after panic buying during the Covid pandemic. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Mr Streeting said: “We did have this debate though, just to reassure… because we want people to be alert but not alarmed, and the truth is we looked around the rest of Europe, ‘what are our friends doing across the continent?’. “They are way ahead of us on some of this stuff.” Tory shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns criticised the advice as “lecturing the public”. She said: “Preparing for emergencies is important. But the Government should get its own house in order before lecturing the public. It isn’t families that are failing to fund our defence or secure reliable energy – it’s Labour. “With rising threats to our national security, we must all be ready to face all eventualities. We each have a role to play, but the Government must lead by example.” Angela Rayner Andy Burnham Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments