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Britain ‘can't be kept safe on the cheap,’ warns Corbyn on FBU centenary

BRITAIN cannot be “kept safe on the cheap,” Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned this weekend as the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) marked its 100th anniversary.

The union held a poignant ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday to honour all firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

Firefighters also saluted those who perished in the Grenfell fire, as the cathedral’s bells rang 72 times in honour of the victims.

Opening the ceremony was Canon Michael Rawson, who welcomed the union to the cathedral.

After an address by FBU national president Ian Murray, union members read out a selection of testimonies from firefighters in British history.

The testimonies included statements from the foundation of the FBU, accounts of the horrors that firefighters faced during the Blitz and descriptions of more recent experiences in Northern Ireland.

The account of Grenfell Tower firefighter Ricky Nuttall, who said that the experience had made him “effectively a different person,” was also read out.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack congratulated the firefighters and saluted them on their bravery, saying: “You are those who bravely run to the danger that others run away from.”

However, he warned against a lack of professionalism in the current government’s attitude to fire services, warning: “There should not be complacency, but there is complacency.”

Mr Corbyn, who attended the event, said: “The union’s outstanding record underlines unions’ vital role in standing up for workers and changing the lives of millions of people for the better.

“You cannot keep the public safe on the cheap.

“We must make sure the fire service is funded properly and that these brave and dedicated public service workers are treated with respect.”

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who helped found the FBU parliamentary group, told the Star: “This event is a brilliant celebration of the courage and bravery of firefighters and this union which stands up for them.

“They make our people safe, they make our country safe.

“This event is also a statement about the need for the future of this union, and to continue attacking austerity cuts.”

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