London firefighters have accused Mayor Boris Johnson of a “campaign of lies and disinformation” and formally asked the Greater London Authority’s Monitoring Officer to investigate his behaviour.
The London Fire Brigades Union says it has evidence showing that the Mayor has breached the GLA’s Code of Conduct after demonstrating statements he made to justify the closure of 10 London fire stations were untrue.
London FBU Regional Secretary Paul Embery said: “Boris Johnson’s lies and disinformation have been so blatant that we believe he has brought the Mayor’s Office into disrepute.
“Beneath his bluster and his jokey style he has played fast and loose with the facts all the way through the consultation on the closure of London’s fire stations.
“The simple truth is that fire and rescue services will get to emergencies more slowly in the future because of his cuts.”
Retired fire officer, Steve James, said: “As retired fire officers who gave our professional lives to keeping Londoners safe, we were so appalled at the way public safety is being compromised — and angry at the Mayor’s misinformation — that we had to protest before the stations closed.
“Boris Johnson may consider the matter closed, but firefighters and the communities they serve will keep fighting for a fire service that can save lives and prevent injury even after these stations close.”
During his campaign to close 10 London fire stations — due to take place on Thursday morning at 9.30am — the Mayor has claimed that fire deaths are ‘steadily’ declining in the capital and that most Londoners can expect a fire engine to arrive within target attendance times, but London firefighters say both statements are untrue.
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority held 24 public consultation meetings on the fire station closures, although Johnson did not attend any.
Although the fire authority’s rejected Johnson’s proposals to make cuts of £45m annually, close 10 London fire stations, scrap two Fire Rescue Units and cut 588 frontline firefighter jobs, their decision was ‘overruled’ by the Mayor.
94% of respondents to a public consultation exercise opposed the cuts.
The London Fire Brigade’s own predictions show that the cuts will result in a delay in response times for four million Londoners.
