Burnham suggests stocking up on tinned food and bottled water

The prime minister has advised people to stock up on tinned food and bottled water in order to be prepared for emergencies.

With storms battering the UK, and in the wake of online disruption caused by a major security flaw, Andy Burnham said "unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common".

What the government recommends

The government has drawn up recommendations for households to have three days' worth of bottled water and tinned food to deal with a crisis such as a war, an online attack or a natural disaster.

Burnham added: "It's not about panic buying... It's about just taking sensible measures to have enough in the house to tide you over should there be a difficult situation."

She said she'd include: "Mascara, concealer, I don't know, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, a tin of baked beans because you've gotta have some baked beans, and I like a good tin of custard as well so I think that'll keep me going for a while."

Burnham’s own stockpile

Asked whether he agreed with her, Burnham told BBC Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley: "Well, I'm not sure a bottle of wine is your best first port of call if you're in a slightly crisis situation, but it probably helps when you've done the hard work.

"But I'll stick to the basics I think - I do like my beans, so I have plenty of those in the cupboard, and soup.

"I think those are the kind of things that I would recommend people to have, as well as Twiglets, I'm not sure I can get by for too long without those."

The chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, which represents firms transporting temperature-controlled foods, also told the BBC the UK is being targeted by Russian cyber-hackers who "know that there are pinch points in the food supply system".