Defence Secretary Wes Streeting disclosed that he has been stockpiling food and water for several weeks in preparation for a potential national emergency, citing heightened threats to the United Kingdom and noting that his department has already started increasing defence spending in response.
His remarks follow comments from Chancellor John Healey, who outlined plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035. Healey has already instructed Whitehall departments to identify budget reductions equivalent to 1% of their spending to free up long-term investment for defence.
Speaking to The Times, Streeting said he was encouraged that the message was resonating, recounting a conversation with his mother, who asked how much she should stock up on ahead of payday while budgeting to the end of the month. “I’m glad people are beginning to consider their own household resilience—ensuring adequate supplies of bottled water, canned goods, and battery-powered torches,” he said. “These are simply commonsense precautions for everyday challenges.”
Streeting confirmed he keeps bottled water, a first-aid kit, and a battery-powered torch on hand, and is stockpiling baked beans, sweetcorn, red kidney beans, tuna, protein bars, and nuts. Having recently encouraged all Britons to do the same, he said he began setting aside supplies to “lead by example.”
He also told The Times that the UK must be capable of deterring adversaries and, should deterrence fail, prepared to defeat them. “That is the core job. We should never lose sight of that,” Streeting said, emphasising that any additional expenditure must be managed carefully. “Spending more money badly is not virtuous,” he added, calling for a balance between value for money and modernisation to ensure the UK is ready to “fight the wars ahead.”
In June, Healey’s resignation as defence secretary marked a decisive blow to Keir Starmer’s premiership. Now serving as chancellor in Andy Burnham’s government, Healey accused both his predecessor and former Chancellor Rachel Reeves of endangering national security through insufficient funding for the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” he wrote. “I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that fails to provide our forces with the resources they require. I am left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defence secretary.”
Announcing his first budget on Wednesday, Healey said the Defence Investment Plan would now be fully funded. He restated the target of defence spending reaching 3% of GDP, prompting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to describe the UK as on “a credible path towards meeting the commitment made by all NATO allies in The Hague.” However, Healey faced criticism for postponing details of how that target would be achieved until next year’s spending review.
Beyond spending, Streeting addressed oversight of service personnel, telling The Times that the courts were amid an “active campaign” to “smear the reputation and integrity of our special forces.” He also indicated openness to scrutiny of special forces and the UK’s nuclear deterrent by MPs and peers on the Intelligence and Security Committee, expressing confidence that they could be trusted.
