Households urged to buy one crucial item to prepare for war in the UK

The important item doesn't need to use power

In a security strategy published in 2025, ministers said the UK now finds itself in "an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security".

Ministers are calling for people to become more resilient, and plan to carry out a cross-government exercise on how to deal with crises.

The strategy said: "Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.

"For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario," as reported by the Express.

The government runs a website to prepare the public for national disruptions including war, extreme weather and cyber attacks.

As part of its list of advice for households, people are being told to buy one crucial item – wind-up radios.

This is because this type of radio doesn't need power from the National Grid, which may be disrupted during a crisis.

So households can use the radio to receive emergency information from the government during a national disruption.

The advice reads: "Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however, in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside."

Other items suggested on the UK Prepare website include a battery-powered or wind-up torch, portable power bank, spare batteries, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, bottled water, non-perishable food, and if applicable, baby supplies.

The government advice adds: "Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage, or situations where you are advised to stay at home or to leave your home (evacuate) for safety reasons.

"It can be helpful to keep these items in one place in your home and ideally somewhere easy to find if the lights aren't working – if you are escaping your house due to a fire, you should not take anything with you at all. You could consider keeping items you might need to take with you if asked to leave your home quickly in a spare bag – you might hear some people call this a 'grab bag'."

You can get a wind-up radio from Amazon here for your home emergency kit. And it can be used for activities such as hiking and camping.