As London continues to grapple with the Casey Review into the Metropolitan Police, another critical emergency service, the London Fire Brigade, has largely slipped out of the spotlight since Nazir Afzal’s watershed report exposed a culture of institutional racism and misogyny back in 2022.
Nonetheless, as a new Fire Commissioner prepares to take the helm, the alarm bells are certainly still ringing.
As the former chair of the London Assembly’s Fire Committee, I saw this firsthand when I led a recent cross-party investigation into Brigade workplace culture. We heard directly from both current and former firefighters, who shared disturbing stories of their experiences of racist and misogynistic bullying and discrimination, as well as their concerns about the repercussions of speaking out to report issues.
The LFB’s new Professional Standards Unit, set up in the wake of the review to investigate complaints of misconduct, has often been held up by both the Mayor and Commissioner as a real sign of progress. Yet our committee had serious concerns about the new unit, which we found not only slow and under-resourced, but also, critically, lacking in real independence.
For any system meant to root out misconduct, independence from the internal chain of command and Brigade hierarchy is essential. Without that, nothing changes: the same fear that stops firefighters having the confidence to report abuse, especially from more senior officers, will continue to prevail.
As Linda, the mother of Jaden Francois-Esprit, a young firefighter who took his own life in 2020, said: “Until [the Commissioner] exposes the truth of what’s really going on, culture is not going to change.”
Outgoing Commissioner Andy Roe described culture change as a “key pillar” of his leadership. But rhetoric is not reform. Progress on tackling racism and misogyny, building trust, and building a workforce that reflects London’s diversity, has all been painfully slow. Still worse, future funding to continue DEI efforts are already at risk to mounting budget pressures, as Roe himself has admitted.
Yet it would be a serious error if the new Commissioner were to cut funding or backtrack at a time when progress is still so necessary. In today’s political climate, with parties like Reform UK actively campaigning against equity and inclusion initiatives, it is more important than ever that the LFB’s new leader doubles down with concrete commitments to drive transparency and accountability from the top.
For starters, the LFB needs to do better than to mark its own homework through internally run complaint mechanisms. It is key that the new Commissioner appoints an independent Standards Commissioner entirely outside the Brigade’s internal hierarchy to oversee investigations. He should also welcome and work constructively with external scrutiny, whether the independent Fire Inspectorate, or the democratically elected London Assembly.
There should also be regular, transparent workforce surveys to build an accurate picture, and efforts to accelerate the recruitment and retention of diverse firefighters, while protecting and properly funding diversity and inclusion programmes.
Because we cannot afford to view these efforts as an optional extra. When firefighters fear bullying, harassment or retaliation for speaking out about misconduct, the safety of both personnel and the public is compromised. A fire service that tolerates discrimination internally cannot serve a city as diverse as London effectively.
And the firefighters who have had the courage to come forward deserve to be heard. Jaden’s family deserves honest answers and accountability. And every Londoner deserves a fire service that doesn’t flinch from uncomfortable truths but embraces proper scrutiny as the foundation for lasting change.
Only then will the London Fire Brigade truly serve, protect and include all Londoners.
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