DAY4Emergency Continuity Guidance
Day 4The 72-hour emergency window has no published guidance beyond hour 72. This service fills the gap.
Open letters

The Twiglet Question: an open letter to the Prime Minister

In October 2026, asked what he keeps at home for an emergency, the Prime Minister said he had beans and soup in the cupboard, and recommended Twiglets. He added that he was not sure he could get by for very long without them.

We have no quarrel with Twiglets. We have questions.

Dear Prime Minister,

Thank you for sharing your personal emergency arrangements with the nation. In a campaign that can feel abstract, it is reassuring to know there is a real cupboard, in a real kitchen, containing real soup. We write on behalf of households across the country who are now trying to build their own kit to the same standard, and who would be grateful for clarification on the following points.

  1. Quantity. Is the Twiglet allowance one bag per household, or one bag per person? Our members note that these produce very different outcomes at hour 60.
  2. Duration. You said you were not sure you could get by for long without Twiglets. Could the Cabinet Office publish its working assumption for exactly how long that is, and whether it is longer or shorter than 72 hours?
  3. Hydration. The official allowance is 3 litres of water per person per day. Twiglets are, by design, a salty snack. Has the water allowance been modelled with Twiglets in it?
  4. Psychological stability. Can a human being maintain composure while subsisting on a Marmite-adjacent snack beneath a dining table for three days? If so, can that research be made public? If not, what is the recommended Day 4 snack?
  5. Soup. Is the soup to be eaten hot? If so, how? If not, could the guidance say so, so that households stop looking at the hob?
  6. Succession. In the event that the Prime Ministerial Twiglets are exhausted before the crisis is, who holds the national reserve?

We recognise that the campaign is not about panic buying, and we have not panic bought. We have bought one bag. We are keeping it under the table, next to the tin opener, and we are waiting for your reply.

Yours, from underneath the furniture,

Day 4

What was actually said

The Prime Minister made the comments while being asked about the Be Ready campaign, which the Cabinet Office launched on 22 October 2026 and which advises households to keep three days of water, food and supplies. He also said the advice was not about panic buying but about sensible measures, and that it brings the UK into line with countries such as Ireland, France and the Netherlands. The full reports are listed in our sources.

See also: how the Prime Minister’s kit compares with the Housing Secretary’s.

Last updated 11 November 2026