New general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Steve Wright has warned the government against “any return to any form of austerity”, warning it would endanger the safety of firefighters and the public.
In an exclusive interview with LabourList shortly after his recent election, Wright spoke about the union’s politics and holding Labour’s “feet to the fire” under his leadership, how to combat the threat of Reform UK, and how his father’s death contributed to his ambition to improve welfare standards for fire crews.
‘We are on our bare bones at the moment’
For Wright, two issues – pay and conditions, and greater investment in the fire service – are front and centre of his priorities in his new role.
“I think the safety of the public has been jeopardised by 14 years of Tory rule. I have seen it first-hand – the impact it has had on our communities, our public services, and on the public sector.
“We’ve got 12,000 fewer firefighters. If you just look at the response times and attendance times, how long it takes firefighters to get to these incidents, it is three and a half minutes longer than it was in the 1990s.”
He expressed concern at Darren Jones’ recent comments that government departments will be mandated to make savings of five per cent for the upcoming Spending Review.
READ MORE: ‘Labour must deliver change voters can feel’: Fabian Society’s Joe Dromey
“We are on our bare bones at the moment and we’re taking longer to get to those incidents. That is putting not just firefighters’ safety at risk; it is putting the public at risk.
“If we’re taking longer to get to incidents, that means people involved in house fires, road traffic collisions, all these types of incidents that we attend, their chance of becoming further injured or harmed increases.
“Any return to any form of austerity is particularly dangerous for firefighters and the public.”
All options on the table for boosting pay
Pay was a major issue during the election, with calls for a greater settlement with the government to make up for years of higher inflation and wage stagnation.
Wright vowed to work to secure a better deal for firefighters – and left all options on the table to do so.
“I’ve been across fire stations in recent months and had the privilege of talking to firefighters on stations and in our control rooms – and the cost of living is still hitting them.
READ MORE: Runcorn special report: could anger at MP and Labour risk by-election loss?
“The role of a firefighter, what we do and the skills we have I don’t think is reflected in what we’re paid. We’ve seen better pay increases than we did in the years our pay was capped, but it’s still not moving in the right direction quickly enough. I am keen to progress that.
“I’ll do that in any way necessary, and that will be industrial if we need to, it will be politically and any legal routes. We’ve got a number of avenues we can take to try and get what we want from our members.”
‘I’ve spent almost all my life living in the shadow of a fire station drill tower’
Wright has been a firefighter since the age of 18, following in his father’s footsteps by joining the service shortly after he turned 18.
“I’m 42 and for all of that bar four or five years of my life I’ve lived in the shadow of a fire station drill tower. My dad Nick, when I was born in 1983, worked at a fire brigade house; a council house if you like that you lived in and you responded to the fire station across the road.
“The first station I joined was the same sort of setup, living just across the road from a fire station.”
His dad also served in the FBU as a rep, being heavily involved in health and safety during his career.
“My brother and sister are a bit older than me and went through the strike. When my dad was on strike for nine and a half weeks as a firefighter, there’s pictures somewhere with my mum and him walking with a double buggy on some of the marches.”
Wright got involved in the union himself at age 19, taking on a role as a branch rep in Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire a week before the 2002 pay campaign strike.
“I think they wanted someone younger chopping the wood and setting the brazier up.”
Since then, he has served in a variety of different roles within the union, including health and safety rep, membership secretary, organiser and regional chair of the South East region, before being elected onto the FBU’s executive council in 2021.
With his 20-year-old son Nick now in the fire service too, Wright said he is carrying on his father’s legacy of protecting the welfare of firefighters.
“My dad died of cancer early into his retirement early into his 60s, and firefighters are more likely to die of cancer.
“This is what drives me on with my passion about the health and safety and welfare of firefighters, and drives me daily, with my son in the job, around preparing the fire and rescue service and taking the right measures.”
Wright said that his son will be one of those holding him to account in his new job.
“He still lives at home so he’ll be holding me to account on everything, I’m sure.”
‘We’re here to be critical friends of the Labour Party’
Despite the change in leadership at the top of the union, Wright does not see the FBU shifting away from its more left-wing stance.
“I think we are a left trade union and I do not see that changing – and anyone that knows me knows my politics.
“I’m a trade unionist – I have been my whole life. I suppose I’m a socialist – I want to see better funding in public services, I want to see better pay for workers, I think there is too much wealth at the top of our society. I stand against injustice.”
Wright, a member of the Labour Party, said he had been “very keen” to see the back of the Conservative government, and praised the trade union movement for their headway on anti-strike laws and workers’ rights.
“I want to work constructively with the Labour Party on things like national standards, response and attendance times. We need a statutory body within the fire and rescue service so we can start holding fire and rescue services to account.
“Ultimately it all comes back to investment – if we don’t get any more, we don’t get the money to make any of this happen.”
Wright said the Labour government and his appointment as the FBU’s new general secretary offers “real opportunities to progress what the fire and rescue service looks like for future generations”.
“We’re here to be critical friends of the Labour Party. We will hold their feet to the fire – and I see it as an opportunity at the moment to try and get things moving.”
‘Labour needs to be delivering for working people’
A big concern of many within the Labour Party and the wider labour movement is the threat of Nigel Farage and Reform UK.
Wright expressed concern at the new Trump presidency in the United States and how his administration may shape discussions on our side of the Atlantic.
“I think the Labour government needs to be delivering for working people and I think their messaging needs to become clearer around doing that and let actions speak louder than words.
“I hope, with the Workers’ Rights Bill and the work of the TULO group, I can contribute to that and make sure that we’re positive.
“I think the trade unions can play a big part in this. We represent working people across the UK and there needs to be that messaging, because we know that if any void is left, people like Nigel Farage will try and grasp any element they can get.”
Wright also said that the union has a role to play in workplaces and have conversations to combat the threat of the hard right and far-right.
“I’m not sure that’s been done enough, and that’s where I talk about this empty void that is created. I think trade unions and trade unionists, and our union and all others need to play a part in that.”
For more from LabourList, subscribe to our daily newsletter roundup of all things Labour – and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, Threads, X or Facebook .
- SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
- SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
- DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
- PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
- ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].
