TORONTO — A right-hand man to former British prime minister Gordon Brown has been warning people to stock up on canned food, water and cash in preparation for fallout over economic instability.
Damian McBride bills himself as “Your one-stop shop for…. impending economic Armageddon,” in his Twitter bio, the platform he used Monday to make the doomsday predictions.
“Advice on the looming crash, No.1,” begins a tweet suggesting citizens withdraw cash and keeping it in a safe place, warning to not assume banks will remain open for business as we know it.
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He went on to suggest people should agree with loved ones on a place to meet “in case transport and communication gets cut off.”
Monday was a turbulent day for stock markets around the world. North American stock markets ended a dramatic trading day sharply lower after clawing back some ground lost during a turbulent plunge at the opening bell.
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North American markets were reacting to deep sell-offs on Asian and European markets. China’s main index sank 8.5 per cent — its biggest drop since the early days of the 2008 global financial crisis — amid deepening fears over the health of the world’s second-largest economy.
McBride also predicted “this crash will be much, much worse” than 2008 events, as he defended his stance.
McBride is a controversial figure; he stepped down from his post with Brown over an email scandal in 2009. The BBC reported that a spokesperson from the Prime Minster’s office called McBride’s messages, discussing plans to smear public officials, “juvenile and inappropriate.”
With files from the Associated Press
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