PM urged to cancel Trump visit to the UK
The firefighters’ union is calling on the Prime Minister to cancel next month’s visit to the UK by US president Donald Trump.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it has emerged that firefighters will be deployed to Chequers during the visit at a time when the service has been “stretched to breaking point” by cuts and wildfires.
The FBU said Buckinghamshire fire and rescue service has emailed staff offering overtime for the visit.
The move comes at a time when the fire and rescue service is facing substantial cuts, across the country and in the local area, said the FBU.
‘Brutal’
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.”
‘Cruel joke’
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.”
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‘The firefighters’ union is calling on the Prime Minister to cancel next month’s visit to the UK by US president Donald Trump.’
Starmer dare not do that. He knows his place.
Well said Steve. Complete agreement. And Frump is really impressing another guy over here.
Trump is very unpopular in the UK, but Starmer’s job is to keep him onside for economic and security reasons. Just check who had the highest tariffs imposed recently.
Should we all kowtow to criminal bullies and encourage them to get their own way or stand up to them? If every country stood up to him wiuld
Completely agree Paul. It is impossible to trust Trump or rely on anything he says. He changes his views all the time. He is a dishonest crook and an adjudicated rapist.
I am amazed that we are letting him in the country, let alone inflating his enormous ego by giving him a royal reception. Will his fellow Epstein buddy and child abuser “Prince” Andrew be invited I wonder?
We have our largest trading partners to our east and south and across a much smaller pond. I agree what you are saying though especially taking into regard the picture of our PM on his knees picking up dropped papers next to Frump.
Yes, its not a great look, the fact is though without Trump’s goodwill, a large chunk of Europe will find itself without any meaningful security, and higher tariffs on British Steel etc. Personal feelings can’t decide UK foreign policy. Leave that to the narcissist in the room.
Would it be right for the PM to invite President Putin over to the UK to talk about cheap supplies of Gas and Oil ? Of course not, it would be an insult to the people of the Ukraine. So, why invite the equally bad tyrant from the USA ? Europe must stand together and work together economically and politically to be self sufficient and not be reliant on any dictatorships. It is clear that Brexit was a scam orchestrated by Putin and Trump to cause harm on all our people: Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish and all Europe. This is… Read more »
Yes, Trump is THAT unpopular in the UK that he will be faced with huge protests at which point, he will whisper in Starmers’ ear ‘Get yourself an armed National Guard and set the dawgs loose on em’.
Completely agree. I have no issue with this visit considering the importance of the economic and social political relationship. The US is the UK’s largest export market.
The EU is the UK’s largest export market.
The UK is America’s little lapdog. They shall do as Trump instructs.
You can’t influence people you have no contact with.
Too true, and if you want Trump to change his position on Netanyahu and Putin, it needs to be in private. Very softly and quietly, otherwise, like a child he will do the exact opposite.
If all Trump’s detractors got together and placed sanctions on the US, he’d be out of Office in months!
That might’ve been possible sat at the top table in Europe but 52% voted to condemn the UK to a future of insignificant subservience bordering on irrelevance as the rest of the world gangs up into regional superpowers.
I’m sick of this island cow towing to the overgrown baby and Putin’s poodle. Enough is enough! The Fascist can go to hell and we should lock up ours until after the far right threat has dissapated!!
What does the UK get out of this ‘special relationship’? Did the UK not learn its lesson after sacrificing thousands of British soldiers for an illegal war in Iraq? Granted having a close relationship with the most powerful country in the world has its perks, but not when its democracy is under serious threat. Its time we got out of this WW2 mentality and get into the 21st century. The nations of Europe need to stand together: the UK nations, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Ukraine, etc etc, both economically and militarily against external threats. Not just from… Read more »