Andy Burnham slaps down Angela Rayner over ‘mascara and wine’ survival kit as PM defends stockpiling

The new campaign, which was confirmed by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, advises to stockpile food, water and other essentials.

When asked about Ms Rayner’s previous comments, the Prime Minister said: “I’m not sure that that’s the top of the list in terms of the advice that we’re giving to the to the public.

“You need to have a clear head when it comes to a challenging situation.”

He added: “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.”

During an interview at Labour’s Party Conference last month, the Housing Secretary was asked what she would pack in a so-called “disaster bag” for emergencies.

She said: “Mascara, concealer… I don’t know, a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

“A tin of baked beans because you’ve got to have some baked beans. I like a good tin of custard as well.

“So I think that will keep me going for a while.”

Ms Rayner was sitting alongside Mr Burnham when the Prime Minister rebuked her comments.

The pair returned to Liverpool to hold a summit on the dangers of wildfires while large parts of the country are being drenched by Storm Austen.

Mr Burnham also defended issuing stockpiling advice after warning that “unexpected events” will become increasingly common.

He added: “We’re having the conversation with people about being better prepared because we’re living in a world where unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common.

“Obviously, weather events, and we’re in a situation today where the UK is facing storms and obviously, we feel for the people without power in Cornwall right now.

“It is just having those supplies in the house to get you through those moments. So we are having that conversation about resilience.”

The “Be Ready” website urges households to prepare for emergencies by keeping enough essential supplies to survive for three days while support reaches those most in need.

The checklist recommends storing bottled water, non-perishable food, a torch, spare batteries, blankets, a battery-powered or wind-up radio and a charged power bank.

Households are also advised to keep cash, copies of important documents, first-aid supplies and essential medicines, alongside any specialist items needed for babies or pets.

Ministers recommend building up supplies gradually, checking them every six months and sharing contact details with neighbours to coordinate support during an outage.

Mr Streeting insisted yesterday that “everyone needs to do their bit” on emergency preparation.

He added: “We’ll also need to take the country a step further and ask them, are they prepared for increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks on our businesses, are they prepared for the eventuality that there may be disruption to essential supply chains caused by hostile state actors or terrorists?”

A radio and social media campaign is set to launch in the coming weeks.