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What essentials to keep, what rubbish to get rid of? Burnham, Badenoch, Farage don’t know either | Robert Hutton

The Guardian Politics Saturday 24 October 2026, 07:00 UTC By Robert Hutton 1 min read
Key Points

After a fractious week, they probably agree that no one at all needs Liz Truss’s new book, but then the political housekeeping decisions get much harderWhat are you stockpiling? Wes Streeting says we need water and food to last 72 hours in case of national emergency, as well as wind-up radios so that we can check in on how the apocalypse is developing in Ambridge. Personally, I have a two-week supply of jokes about the government that I can draw upon even as the zombies break down my front door.

After a fractious week, they probably agree that no one at all needs Liz Truss’s new book, but then the political housekeeping decisions get much harder

What are you stockpiling? Wes Streeting says we need water and food to last 72 hours in case of national emergency, as well as wind-up radios so that we can check in on how the apocalypse is developing in Ambridge. Personally, I have a two-week supply of jokes about the government that I can draw upon even as the zombies break down my front door.

Andy Burnham, far from stockpiling, is busy chucking stuff out. This week Labour’s much cherished commitment not to allow new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea went into the skip round the back of Downing Street, where it lies next to a complete set of European Union red lines, a plan for digital ID and a signed photograph of Peter Mandelson.

Robert Hutton is an author and journalist

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Burnham (PERSON) Badenoch (LOCATION) Farage (PERSON) Robert Hutton (PERSON) Liz Truss’s (PERSON) Wes Streeting (PERSON) Ambridge (LOCATION) Andy Burnham (PERSON) Labour (ORG) the North Sea (LOCATION) Downing Street (LOCATION) European Union (ORG) Peter Mandelson (PERSON)
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