If you have seen a headline telling every household to keep an emergency kit, the advice behind it lives on one website. The government emergency kit list is published on GOV.UK Prepare, and it is shorter and more sensible than most news coverage makes it sound. Below is that list as the government publishes it, with a plain note on what each item is actually for when the power or the water goes off. After that come the few things most homes skip, and an honest answer to whether you need to buy anything at all.
Where does the government emergency kit list come from?
Prepare is the UK Government's public advice site for emergencies. It was developed by the Resilience Directorate of the Cabinet Office, working with local and national government, emergency responders, charities and academics, according to its about page. The National Risk Register 2025 dates the advice to May 2024, when the government published guidance for households on GOV.UK/Prepare, "including a number of low and no cost options".
Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own versions: Ready Scotland and NI Direct. If you live there, check their pages too.
One detail matters before you read the list. The government asks you to think about what your household would need "during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage". A few days means at least 72 hours, which is the figure most UK coverage uses and the one our boxes are packed for.
What is on the government's emergency kit list?
This is the UK government emergency kit, as published. Under the heading "Put together an emergency kit of items at home", the page says your kit could include these nine things. The items in bold follow the government's wording; the notes are ours.
- A battery or wind-up torch. The reason is given in four words: "torches are safer than candles." The power cuts page adds that your phone torch will drain the battery you need for calls.
- A portable power bank for charging your mobile phone. Your phone is your news, your contacts and your way to call for help. Keep the power bank charged and it will see the phone through a long evening.
- A battery or wind-up radio "to get updates during a power cut". A car radio works too, though the page warns that in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
- Spare batteries for torches and radio, "and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on".
- A first aid kit, or some first aid items. The list names waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers.
- Hand sanitiser and wet wipes "for hygiene purposes when the water is off".
- Bottled water. The page says there is no standard figure, then gives one: the World Health Organisation recommends at least 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day for survival, and 10 litres a day covers basic cooking and washing as well. Add more for baby formula, medical devices and pets.
- Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables, "and a tin opener". Don't forget food for pets.
- Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula. Ready-made or "ready-to-feed" formula is best, the page says, "as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles".
That is the whole list. Press articles sometimes count it as eleven or seventeen essentials by splitting the bullets differently. The content is the same.
Why do these items matter in a power cut?
Read the list again with one question in mind: what stops working when the electricity goes? The government's answer, from the power cuts page, is longer than most people expect. "Gas ovens, boilers, heat pumps and your home internet won't work without power. Your mobile phone might stop working if your local mast is in the affected area. Mains water supply to your home could also be disrupted."
So the list is built around a house that is suddenly dark, cold, offline and possibly without running water. Light comes first, then a way to hear what is happening, then charge for the phone. Water and food that needs no cooking cover the rest, plus enough first aid and hygiene to manage when you cannot pop to a shop.
Most homes already have some of it. In the Cabinet Office's UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness 2026, 54% of people said they had a power bank and 53% a battery, solar or wind-up torch. The gaps are elsewhere. Only 23% had an FM radio powered by battery, solar or wind-up, which is the one thing that still brings you news when the mobile network and broadband are both down.
Water is the biggest gap by far. Measured against 3 litres per person per day, the same survey found that just 4% of households would have three or more days of bottled water. 82% would have less than a day. Tap water is easy to take for granted until the day it stops, and the government's water page recommends buying sealed bottled water rather than filling your own containers, because it keeps for longer.
What do most households leave out?
The kit list is only half of the Prepare page. The other half is a plan, and that is where most homes fall short. In the 2026 survey, 29% had important numbers written down on paper and just 14% had a household plan.
Numbers on paper. The government suggests writing down, and keeping somewhere easy to find in a power cut: the number to report a power cut (105 in England, Scotland and Wales, and 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland), anyone you would want to contact, a list of your regular medication, the frequencies of local and national radio stations, and your insurance details. If your phone is flat, this sheet is your address book. The government publishes a free household emergency plan template to record it all in one document.
Medication for several days. The page asks you to make sure you have enough of the medication you need "to keep you going for several days". If that is hard to arrange, speak to your GP or pharmacist.
Medical equipment. Keep a paper copy of the instructions for any device you rely on, and keep its backup batteries charged.
The Priority Services Register. If someone in your home has a health condition, relies on medical equipment or has a child aged five or under, they may be able to join the Priority Services Register. It is free across England, Scotland and Wales and gives extra support during a power or water interruption. It does not keep the lights on, so it works best alongside your own supplies.
A place to keep it. The government suggests keeping your kit in one place that is easy to find with the lights off, with a spare bag for anything you would take if asked to leave quickly. One exception is worth remembering: "if you are escaping your house due to a fire you should not take anything with you at all."
Do you need to buy everything at once?
No. The government says so directly: "Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time." If you already own a torch, a power bank and a first aid kit, you are a good way there. Adding a radio, some bottled water and a few tins on your next shop closes most of the gap.
The survey also explains why so many people never finish. 23% said they did not know enough about what to do, 11% said they had not had the time, and 18% said they lacked space to store supplies. None of that is a reason to feel bad. It is a reason to make the job smaller.
That is the case for a ready-made box. Think of it the way you think about home insurance: a one-off decision, made on a calm day, that sits in a cupboard until the day it is the most useful thing in the house. The best outcome is that you never open it.
ReadyHome boxes are based on the same list. We source and pack the items so you do not have to find them one by one. The Essential box, for 1-2 people, holds a wind-up radio and torch, a phone power bank, a first aid kit and batteries, water purification, food and a tin opener, blankets, a hygiene kit and a printed household plan. Complete and Family add more for bigger households, and the Family box adds an evacuation grab bag. No box includes baby supplies, because most households don't need them: if you have a baby, stock up on nappies and ready-to-feed formula yourself. One honest note: our boxes include water purification rather than bottled water, so keep a few bottles of water at home as well, as the government suggests.
If you would rather tick the government emergency kit list off in one order, boxes start at £199 with free delivery. Choose the box that fits your household.