The Mayor of London, , will use his speech at
conference today (Monday) to
launch a withering attack on and the Conservative Government
for seven years of cuts to the emergency services.
The Tory cuts have made Britain less safe, Sadiq will tell
Labour delegates in Brighton.
The Mayor will pay an emotional tribute to the capital’s
emergency services and call for a standing ovation to thank our
emergency responders after what he describes as 'one of the
darkest times in London's recent history'.
The capital has suffered four terrorist attacks this year
as well as the shocking and tragic Grenfell Tower fire.
The Mayor will single out courageous and heroic individuals
for praise in his speech, including PC Keith Palmer who was
posthumously awarded the St George’s Medal after he was killed
while defending Parliament from a terrorist attack in
March.
He will also mention Colleen Anderson, a junior doctor who
rushed to help the injured during the attack on Westminster, and
Wayne Marques, the British Transport Police officer who suffered
several stab wounds after single-handedly taking on three armed
attackers during the attack London Bridge.
Sadiq will pay tribute to Dany Cotton, the London Fire
Commissioner, who not only led the operation at Grenfell Tower –
entering the building and taking extraordinary risks alongside
her officers – but who also spoke openly about receiving
counselling after the fire to help her deal with what she
witnessed.
The Mayor will attack the Tory Government for overseeing a
rise in crime after seven years of cuts to the emergency
services, including the police, fire service, NHS and transport
network.
He will say:
“The Tories used to describe themselves as the party of law
and order… well that sounds like a bad joke today. And frankly,
as a former Home Secretary, should be utterly ashamed of
her record.”
The Mayor will highlight the £1 billion of real-terms cuts
to the Metropolitan Police Service between 2010 and 2021, which
he will say are directly responsible for the closure of police
stations and a reduction in the number of police officers and
community support officers.
Even police funding for counter-terrorism is set to fall by
seven per cent in real terms over the next three years.
Additionally, Sadiq will call on the Government to increase
overall police funding in real terms at the Budget in
November.
The Mayor will praise , saying:
“We made huge progress in the general election and the
credit for that goes to one person - the leader of our party –
.”
He will say he is optimistic that Labour will win the next
general election.
He will draw a parallel between the chaos and infighting of
the current Tory Government with John Major's Government in the
1990s.
The Mayor will say:
"This all feels very familiar - a weak and divided Tory
Government refusing to face up to the challenges ahead. Bickering
and infighting over Europe putting our jobs and economy at risk.
Chronic underinvestment in public services causing a crisis in
our schools and hospitals. And crime on the rise. But conference,
this isn’t the 1990, this is now. It’s like Back to the Future,
but it isn't funny.”
