The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has urged the Prime Minister to cancel next month’s visit by US president Donald Trump, citing concerns over the already stretched fire and rescue services.
The union highlighted that firefighters are set to be deployed to Chequers during the visit, at a time when the service is “stretched to breaking point” due to ongoing cuts and recent wildfires. Buckinghamshire fire and rescue service has reportedly emailed staff offering overtime for the event, underscoring the additional strain.
The FBU emphasised that this comes as fire and rescue services nationwide, and locally, face substantial budget reductions.
General secretary Steve Wright said: “Donald Trump is a toxic, authoritarian billionaire who has waged a war on workers and the living standards of ordinary Americans, and enacted a brutal, racist anti-migrant policy at odds with basic humanitarian values.
“Rolling out the red carpet for him with an unprecedented second state visit was always a shocking move for a Labour Government. Now we learn that fire cover may be compromised to accommodate it. This could hamper response times and public safety.
“Keir Starmer must cancel this state visit.”
Chris Wycherley, FBU executive council member for the Southern region, said: “Fifteen years of cuts mean the fire service is on its knees, and Buckinghamshire has spent all summer suffering a lack of resources.
“We have had wildfires, hot temperatures and low rainfall. Those conditions could well still be in place throughout September.
“We have now found that the service has been asked to deploy fire engines and a water tanker to sit outside Chequers for President Trump’s visit.
“Firefighters and members of the public will rightly regard that as a cruel joke. The fire service exists to save lives, not to put on a show for far-right foreign leaders.”
