The short answer
No. The UK government is not posting or handing out free emergency kits. The GOV.UK Be Ready campaign, launched on 22 October 2026, is advice: it asks households to be able to manage at home for 3 days, and gives a free checklist you can download. It says many steps cost nothing, and suggests building the rest gradually during normal shopping. If money is tight, start with the free steps, and ask your local council about hardship support.
The short answer: no free kits
The UK government is not posting emergency kits to homes or giving them out. The confusion started after the Be Ready campaign launched on 22 October 2026. Be Ready is advice, not a delivery. Neither the Cabinet Office announcement nor the Be Ready website mentions free kits.
Be wary of anyone who says otherwise, for example a text, email or website asking for your details or a "delivery fee" for a government kit. We found nothing on GOV.UK or Be Ready about free kits.
What Be Ready actually is
From the Cabinet Office announcement (22 October 2026):
- The first stage of a three-year campaign to help households feel better prepared.
- It asks people to be ready for three days of disruption, the same timeframe used in France, Ireland and the Netherlands.
- It suggests keeping a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water, with steps designed to be low-cost.
- More than 500 organisations, including charities and businesses, have signed up to share it.
- It was linked to everyday emergencies, such as last winter's storms and this summer's wildfires, not to a specific threat.
The official list
From the Be Ready checklist:
| Area | What to keep |
|---|---|
| Water | Bottled water for 3 days: 3 litres per person per day for drinking |
| Food | 3 days of non-perishable food you'd usually eat |
| Hygiene | Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, bathroom products |
| Light and warmth | Torch and spare batteries. Blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothes |
| News and power | Battery or wind-up FM radio. Charged power bank |
| Money and papers | Cash (coins and notes) and cards. Copies of ID and documents. Important numbers and medicines, on paper |
| Health | First-aid kit. Essential medicines |
| Babies and pets | Baby formula, nappies, wipes. Pet food and bottled water |
You can download the checklist free from GOV.UK Be Ready, or tick it off with our Be Ready kit tool.
What it costs to build yourself
Be Ready says many of its suggestions "won't cost anything", and to check your cupboards first. For the items most people need to buy, here are real prices we checked on 1 November 2026:
| Item | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Head torch | Alpkit Ionic 350 Lumen Head Torch (Alpkit) | £15.99 |
| AA batteries, 12 pack | Duracell Plus (Amazon UK) | £8.40 |
| Wind-up FM radio | Duronic Wind-Up AM FM Radio (EVAQ8) | £26.40 |
| First-aid kit | St John Ambulance Home First Aid Kit (Amazon UK) | £14.49 |
| Power bank, 20,000 mAh | Anker Zolo (Amazon UK) | £28.99 |
| Total | £94.27 |
Water and food come from your normal shopping. Our supplies calculator works out how much your household needs. For a step-by-step plan by budget, see prepping essentials by budget.
If money is tight
- Start free. Write key numbers on paper (105 for a power cut), check your smoke alarms, and swap numbers with a neighbour.
- Join the Priority Services Register if you qualify. It's free, and gives priority support in an emergency.
- Build it gradually. Be Ready suggests picking up an extra item or two during regular shopping to spread the cost. You don't need to do it all at once.
- Ask your council. In England, councils run the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2026. It can help some households with food, energy and other essentials. What's offered depends on where you live.
- If you have spare, Be Ready suggests donating items to people who can't afford to prepare, or printing documents for them.
What to buy
About these links: plain links to ordinary retailer pages. We may earn from some links in future; we don't now. We haven’t tested these and we don’t rank them: they are examples that were in stock when we checked. Prices change. Check what you already own first. Full kit list
Torch or head torch, plus spare batteries
Look for: Runs on the same AA or AAA batteries as your other kit, so one spare pack covers everything. A head torch leaves both hands free.
- Alpkit Ionic 350 Lumen Head Torch · Alpkit · £15.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Intensity 155 LED Head Torch · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £19.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Alpkit Kula 550 Lumen Head Torch · Alpkit · £19.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Intensity 480 LED Hand Torch · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £29.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Dynamo Powered Wind-Up Pocket LED Torch · EVAQ8 · £3.60 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Battery or wind-up FM radio
Look for: FM (Be Ready asks for FM; DAB as well is fine). Both a crank and ordinary batteries, so you have two ways to power it.
First aid kit
Look for: Waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers.
- St John Ambulance Home First Aid Kit · St John Ambulance shop · £10.50 (price on 3 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Adventurer First Aid Kit · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £26.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Mountain First Aid Kit · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £42.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Power bank
Look for: From a seller you know. Check the capacity (mAh) against your phone, and that you have the right cable for each phone. Keep it charged.
Frequently asked questions
Are free government survival kits being sent out in the UK?
No. The Cabinet Office announcement of 22 October 2026 and the Be Ready website give advice and a checklist. Neither mentions free kits or sending anything to homes. Be wary of messages or websites that claim otherwise.
What is in the government's 3-day emergency kit?
Be Ready's checklist: bottled water (3 litres per person per day for 3 days), non-perishable food, hand sanitiser and wipes, a torch and spare batteries, blankets and warm clothes, a battery or wind-up FM radio, a charged power bank, cash, copies of documents and key numbers, a first-aid kit and essential medicines, plus baby and pet supplies if needed.
How much does the government emergency kit cost to build?
Much of it is probably in your home already. Using real prices we checked on 1 November 2026, a head torch and batteries cost about £24, and adding a wind-up FM radio, a first-aid kit, foil blankets and a document pouch takes the total to about £73. Water and food depend on what you normally buy.
Where can I download the government emergency kit list?
On GOV.UK Be Ready (beready.campaign.gov.uk). The checklist is free as a PDF. Scotland has Ready Scotland and Northern Ireland has NI Direct for local advice.
What help is there if I can't afford it?
Start with the free steps. Joining the Priority Services Register is free. In England, councils run the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2026 and can help some households with food, energy and other essentials. Ask your council what's available where you live.
Sources
We opened each page on the date shown. Official advice changes: if a source says something different now, follow the source.
- Cabinet Office (GOV.UK): Households encouraged to take small, simple steps to stay prepared in an emergency (22 October 2026) (read 1 November 2026)
- GOV.UK Be Ready: home page (read 1 November 2026)
- GOV.UK Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (checklist) (read 1 November 2026)
- GOV.UK Be Ready: checklist (PDF, October 2026) (read 1 November 2026)
- Ofgem: Join your supplier's Priority Services Register (read 1 November 2026)
- Southwark Council: Crisis and Resilience Fund (example of a council page) (read 1 November 2026)
Related guides
- The Be Ready checklist, explained for your home
- UK emergency kit checklist (printable)
- Why is the government asking us to prepare?
- Priority Services Register: a plain guide
Free tools
- Be Ready kit: every item on the official list as a tick list
- Emergency supplies calculator (water and food for your household)
- Priority Services Register checker
We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.
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