In his speech in Manchester last month setting out his vision for government, Andy Burnham placed food alongside energy and defence as one of the UK’s critical sectors at the core of national security.
But British harvests devastated by wetter autumn and winters and hotter, drier springs and summers, as well as the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz still affecting global supply chains, are making the issue of food security even more urgent.
And there are some in Westminster and industry who want the UK to follow countries around the world to start stockpiling food on a national level in case the current pressures turn into a catastrophe.
In March, Sir Keir Starmer’s government said it had “no plans” to stockpile food because the UK’s supply chains are robust. But with a new, more proactive regime in No 10, could the new Prime Minister order a rethink?
England is on the brink of drought
