Hosting Trump while fire crews are stretched to a breaking point is unforgivable

Rolling out the red carpet for an authoritarian, toxic billionaire is an inflammatory and dangerous decision. Pouring resources into doing so while public services are in a state of emergency is unforgivable.

With fire and rescue services on the brink of critical failure after fifteen years of austerity, the latest round of brutal central government cuts will put lives on the line. Public safety should be the highest priority for politicians, but Labour is sleepwalking towards catastrophe by refusing to invest in vital services.

So it is a cruel joke that Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has been asked to deploy fire engines and a water tanker to sit outside Chequers for the presidential visit.

These demands are being made of a service that is already severely overstretched and under-resourced. This summer firefighters have battled raging wildfires at major incidents caused by the soaring temperatures of the climate emergency.

We have lost 1 in 5 firefighter posts to cuts since 2010, and face losing an additional 2,300 posts due to this year’s below inflation funding settlement. As a result, the public is waiting longer than ever for fire engines to arrive at incidents

Buckinghamshire is one of the worst affected services in the UK. Having lost more than 40% of firefighters to cuts since 2010, it is now facing even more fire station closures and cuts to crews.

The fire trucks sent to Chequers will have the recommended five firefighters on board, while residents of the county only get crews of four due to a lack of resources – a practice which puts firefighters and the public at risk.

Why should fire cover be compromised for thousands so that Starmer can treat Trump to a cosy chat over tea? This is the first time in history that a US president has been invited for a second state visit.

It’s not ‘playing politics’ to point out that the government should focus on bringing public services, including the fire and rescue service, back from the brink of collapse – instead of wasting resources on entertaining divisive politicians.

Across the UK and the world, firefighters are on the frontline of increasingly extreme weather events, battling to save homes and lives: responding to a climate crisis driven by the likes of Trump and his cronies in big business.

Trump has waged a war on workers in America, attacking trade unions and enacting a brutal, racist anti-migrant policy at odds with basic humanitarian values. Firefighters go to work to save lives, not to put on a show for leaders who stand against all the values of our service.

Labour must get its priorities straight. It’s not rocket science: cancel the visit, and fund the fire and rescue service.

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Steve Wright is the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

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