Politics Home | Labour Must “Start Delivering For Working People”, Says Head Of Firefighters’ Union

FBU general secretary Steve Wright (Photography by Dinendra Haria)

3 min read29 January

In an interview with The House magazine, the union leader – a firefighter who was newly elected as general secretary last year – said Starmer was now being given his “last chance”.

“There have been a lot of own goals,” Wright said, pointing, for example, to the government’s original refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which is now set for removal in April.

The FBU head described Reform UK as “the real threat”, saying: “I want to see Labour in a position to fight that off. And I’m not sure who’s best to do that at the moment.”

Asked whether all 11 of the affiliated trade unions could come together and tell Starmer it is time for him to go if the May elections are as painful for the party as predicted, Wright replied: “I think so.”

“I want to see this Labour government deliver. I don’t really care who does it, I’ll be honest,” he added. 

“No one liked the ever-revolving door of No 10 when Conservatives were in, did they? So, there is a benefit to keeping someone in position as long as they’re delivering and listening. There’s hope. We’ll see what happens in May, won’t we?”

Wright also criticised the Labour leadership’s decision – via national executive committee (NEC) officers – to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from being a parliamentary candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

“Why not allow Andy Burnham into the selection? My view is, he’s a good politician. He’s done a decent job in Manchester,” he said.

He praised the mayor for overseeing a fire and rescue service in Greater Manchester that increased its number of fire engines during a time of government spending cuts.

“His letter was quite clear of his intent that he would support the Prime Minister. I feel it’s a bit of a distraction, actually, and I think the best thing would have been just to allow the whole NEC to take a view on it, and allow Andy to stand and see where that gets us.”

But Wright promised – despite not always feeling welcome in Labour – to fight off any attempt to disaffiliate the FBU from the party, which could be proposed at the union’s next conference in May.

“I’m not going to be driven out by anyone that doesn’t want me. I think there maybe are some elements of the Labour Party do not want trade unions,” he said.

“I fought off, at our conference last year, a call to disaffiliate. I’m still of the view that we are best placed within the Labour Party.”

The full interview with The House will be published, in print and online, in early February.