Latest news with #SteveWright
Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC workmen ripped apart Steve Wright's old studio in week he died
BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine told how workmen ripped apart Steve Wright's old studio and showed lack of compassion to older staff members BBC workmen ripped apart Steve Wright's old studio in the very week that he died. The Radio Two presenter passed away in February last year aged 69 from a ruptured stomach ulcer. Two years before he had been axed from his very popular weekday show by the station – a move which had angered his army of listeners. Instead he had continued hosting his Sunday Love Songs programme. Now details have emerged that when the BBC moved out of Wogan House in London in the spring last year, their timing for tearing out rooms and removing equipment could not have been worse. Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine has revealed: ' Steve Wright – what an amazing man. 'His studio was torn out in the week he died very sadly because they were changing offices and of course the way they tear these things out is not particularly respectful of the history of all the machines that were in there because Steve had asked for them.. that microphone was Steve's microphone!' Vine, who also has a Channel 5 daytime show, said staff were in tears when word reached them that 'Wrightie' - who had been at the station since the 1980s - had died. And he had to console one newsreader who was especially close to him – but even that moment was ruined by a workman who showed a lack of compassion. He added: 'When he died, there was a particular news reader who was very very close friends with him and she was very upset because she was in the newsroom and she found out he had died because she saw the script for it. Terrible. ' I said 'Let's go and talk about it' and we went off. Now this was all part of this big office move and there was a sign outside (his old studio) saying 'Do Not Enter'... so we of course ignored that. 'So we go into the studio and we start talking, hugging, crying and talking about Steve and then we must have appeared on some camera because a guy comes up with a clipboard and opens the door and says 'Excuse me.. can you not read this sign?' 'I said 'Sorry' but I can see my friend the news reader is about to go ballistic. And she said 'This is our church!' which is such a great line. It made me think how deep all this runs.' Former Strictly contestant Vine also admitted that it was a sad sign of the times that the BBC is staffed with many younger employees who do not know the history of the station nor the legendary radio presenters who helped make the channel what it is today. And a recent experience made him realise how easily famous DJs can be forgotten. The star, who has recently released a murder mystery novel Murder On Line One, explained at the Bath Literary Festival: 'Obviously all my producers now are 22 or 23 years old and as we cleared out the desks in the old building which is called Wogan House, one of them pulled this massive lump of metal out. 'And it was a bust in bronze and they said 'Who the hell is this?' It was a guy with a collar and tie on. And I said 'Look at the name!' And they looked at it and turned it around and said 'Jimmy Young. Who's that?' I said 'Guys he presented the show for 29 years'. But it was a bit of a reminder of the generational gap – and once you are gone, you are gone! And I suppose a lot of broadcasters do worry about that.' A BBC spokesman said: "Radio 2 moved out of Wogan House and all the studios were decommissioned on the same weekend that Steve tragically passed away. Steve's microphone was saved, mounted on a stand and featured prominently in the celebration of his career that took place at the BBC recently. The event was recorded and will be broadcast later this year."
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
How a hard-Left stitch-up threw one of Britain's biggest teaching unions into turmoil
It's clear what might attract Matt Wrack, the recently deposed long-time leader of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), to the top job at one of the country's biggest teaching unions. An annual salary of around £134,000 is certainly not to be sniffed at. What is less obvious is why the normally moderate National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) would want a loyal Jeremy Corbyn-ally and Left-wing firebrand with zero educational experience to lead it. Nonetheless, last month, Wrack, who once said he was 'proud to have led the longest period of strike action' in the FBU's history, was announced as general secretary of the NASUWT without facing any opposition. 'It's completely crazy,' one union source tells The Telegraph. 'I have been active in the trade union movement all my life and I was staggered when I heard. I initially thought it was a joke.' It may not have been a joke, but someone is certainly having the last laugh. Since Wrack's unveiling, the union, which represents almost 300,000 teachers nationwide, has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown over the appointment and re-opened nominations, with a ballot expected to begin in June. Wrack was the general secretary of the FBU from May 2005 until January 2025, when he lost out in a tight vote against the union's vice president Steve Wright. As a former fireman, he was well-placed to lead the FBU – which, under his 20-year leadership, became one of Britain's more political unions. Between 2013 and 2015 the FBU held the longest period of strike action in its history. But Wrack has never worked in education, and was not a member of the NASUWT, so just how did he end up being named as its leader? For Susan Parlour, 57, a former lay member of the union's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), the situation is no surprise. 'I think, in the way they have operated in terms of this election, this has been typical of the NASUWT,' she says. 'They don't want to be challenged. They want to keep dissenters out and keep tight control from the top. People who challenge are quickly pushed out from senior lay positions.' In August 2018, Parlour began asking for an election timetable to be published as Chris Keates, who was general secretary at the time, was coming to the end of her tenure. 'I was told by national officers not to worry about it', she says, but a timetable never appeared. 'Once I started asking questions I became the target of the NASUWT leadership. In October 2018, I had trumped up charges sent to me by NASUWT.' She took a complaint about Keates to a Certification Office (CO) tribunal, which rejected her call for an enforcement order to remove Keates from office. Whilst the union had conceded that there had been a breach in trade union law as Keates had remained in post beyond five years without an election, it argued that Keates was now only 'acting general secretary' pending an election. The Certification Officer found that the union had made 'an honest and genuine mistake' in allowing her to overstay in her post. Parlour told the tribunal that Keates had simply 'rebranded herself'. Keates eventually made way for Dr Patrick Roach in 2020, who became general secretary without having to face a vote. But the ramifications continued for Parlour, who claims the NEC meetings 'became horrendous'. 'National officers would take it in turns to denounce the person who had taken a claim against them to the CO,' she says. 'Although they did not name me, everyone in the room knew who had taken the claim. I would have to just sit there and take it. It was hugely intimidating.' She was later expelled in January 2020. Another former NASUWT official, who did not want to be named, says: 'From my experience, anyone that speaks out against the NASUWT leadership, they go after him. They throw everything at him. 'If you go against the NEC decision or publicly challenge it you will be suspended pending an investigation. 'I think it is a complete and utter mess. I think the whole process should be rerun. In a sense there has not been an election for 30 years and no one knows the rules.' And he adds: 'One of the issues for me is if [Wrack] has been appointed, what happens with his five-year contract, if he loses any election? 'What does Matt Wrack do? Does he challenge the union and ask for compensation for his five-year contract?' 'The last time Matt Wrack was in a school was over 40 years ago' One long-term minister who served under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown thinks there is a 'mixture of conspiracy and incompetence at play'. 'It was sprung on them – there was a personal tragedy for the outgoing general secretary who left suddenly – and they hadn't done proper succession planning.' 'Clearly someone there had a political agenda,' adds the former minister. 'Matt had lost his election [at the FBU]. It was a very contentious election and he was from the ultra-Left, with a strong affiliation with Labour, and someone wanted him in the role.' Unlike most unions, which tend to operate in an arguably more democratic way, the NASUWT executive committee makes a nomination and in order for someone else to run against them, they are required to get 25 local branches to support them. One former teacher – Neil Butler, who is also head of the Welsh arm of the union – was able to get the requisite number, but was barred from running at the last minute due to a technicality… that he was not eligible to stand for the position as he was an employee and a non-member. And because this was the first time someone with no history of working in education had been appointed to the job, members were immediately confused and upset. One political advisor says 'There was chaos behind the scenes when the announcement was made' while a teacher who doesn't want to be named describes it as 'a bonkers decision', adding, 'given his age, it is entirely plausible that the last time Matt Wrack was in a school was over 40 years ago'. According to a Westminster source, the members might have accepted Wrack if other challengers had been allowed to stand. 'It was perceived as a stitch-up because the executive had a preferred candidate and that was that.' But his lack of education experience wasn't the only problem. Political games 'In the last few years, he has been followed by controversy and scandal,' claims the union source. Wrack has been under particular scrutiny over the FBU's use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). The source adds: 'These have included NDAs given to members of staff after allegations of bullying and racism'. Wrack's politics too, stand in opposition to the NASUWT. 'He seems so ill-suited to that union and [the teaching] industry,' says the source. 'He is an old Trotskyist and he hasn't really shifted his politics since he got expelled from the Labour Party in 1990. He has always been a Trot. He loathed the professional trade union class – that was never what it was about for him. He believed it should be about remembering your roots and now he has become the thing he spent years opposing.' Ed Dorrell, a director at research consultancy Public First, explains that most members aren't aware of quite how distinct union politics are. '[It is] driven by the niche interests and values of the hard Left,' he says. 'Unfortunately there is a very good chance that the Wrack appointment was also part of these political games and alliances.' Wrack is also a big name in the union world. 'He is a good performer and he speaks well – I think they were probably impressed by him at interview,' says the source. 'But I imagine a lot of them don't know his real politics and his Trotskyist background; instead they were probably thinking they'd get a big figure who could go on the Today programme... and exert a lot of influence.' A number of insiders have also suggested that this entire kerfuffle might be linked to the National Education Union or NEU – the separate and largest union for teachers that has taken a far more radical approach to strikes and political demands. The leader of the NEU, Daniel Kebede, is a close friend and ally of Wrack's. 'Patrick Roach had to become more hardcore in response to the NEU being so militant,' says a political source. 'So I wonder if they felt they needed a more hardcore union leader. The NEU has stated that they want to steal members as they want to see all the teaching unions unite – perhaps this was a misguided move by people at a senior level to play them at their own game.' Other insiders suggest that – despite Wrack's claims to the contrary – his ultimate aim was to merge the two unions. Equally, if the executive wanted to move the union to the Left, then they picked the right man. 'He is a militant at heart,' says the source. 'He is very close to Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.' The problem is that the vast majority of teachers – all of whom are told to join a union when they leave teacher training college – aren't particularly interested in hard-Left disputes, which, as one educational expert explains, are often more focused on issues like Palestine, or differences between the Communist or Socialist Workers parties, than they are on the nitty-gritty details that teachers care about, like Ofsted reform. According to the former Labour minister, this plays right into the hands of the industry bosses these people claim to stand in opposition to. 'Employers in the private sector like unions that pass resolutions on Palestine because it means they aren't focusing on issues like pay or the right to fair play.' Hence many people in the world of education feeling relieved at the development. 'This is good news for British families,' says one source, 'as his focus would have been on industrial action and teacher strikes, which is bad for kids'. In the face of an embarrassing legal challenge by Butler and fellow teacher Luke Lockyer, the union's executives announced last week that nominations on behalf of members and non-members alike would reopen. In a brief hearing, the high court heard that the union and the applicants had reached an agreement, with the union paying the applicants' costs of around £78,000. Speaking after the hearing, Butler said: 'It is a shame that this matter was not resolved before legal proceedings were issued. So much time, and valuable union funds, have been wasted because of a failure to follow what was clearly stated in the union's rules.' The NASUWT has announced that 'it is important that there be stability and that the general secretary be appointed free from any suggestion that they have been elected otherwise than in accordance with due process'. When approached by The Telegraph, the NASUWT declined to comment. What's more, Wrack clearly intends on staying, telling The Guardian that there had been a 'ludicrous' and 'coordinated' attempt by his political enemies to bring him down. 'It's about trying to do a hatchet job on me because they don't want effective trade unionism,' he said. As to what happens next – nobody is quite sure. If any other candidate gets the required nominations, a ballot of members will begin on June 19 and close on July 23. Until then, Wrack is the interim general secretary... something one Westminster insider describes as 'worrying – as he wouldn't agree to it if he didn't think he would end up with the job'. But others are more optimistic. The union source says: 'I would be surprised if Matt wins: if the other guy gets a nomination, all he has to do to win the postal ballot is say he's been a teacher and he knows the union.' For teachers – and for parents and children – the result of this contest matters. '[I hope] that whoever takes over permanently at the NASUWT is pragmatic politically and can lead teachers in a way that is informed by a deep understanding of the teaching profession,' says Dorrell. 'That might now be possible.'
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
London mayor urged to halt new Penge flats over fire safety fears
The mayor of London and Bromley Council have been urged to halt plans for what the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has described as an "unsafe" block of flats in south-east a letter to Sir Sadiq Khan, the FBU said the planned 16-storey block at the old Blenheim shopping centre, Penge, risked a "fire safety disaster" as it would have only a single staircase as an escape Hadley Clarion said the scheme complied "fully with the latest building regulations and fire safety standards" after it recently reduced the height of the planned tower, and was subsequently granted planning permission by Bromley Hall said the mayor was satisfied the plans were "compliant". In an open letter signed by fire safety campaigners, the FBU general secretary Steve Wright calls on the Greater London Authority (GLS) to stop the project until plans meet the "highest standards of building safety".Mr Wright accused developers of attempting to "circumvent" planning rules by adjusting the height of the building to just 30cm (12in) the height limit permitted for blocks with single staircases. "This is an attempt to cut corners and get around the building safety regulations introduced to avoid a repeat of the Grenfell Tower tragedy," Mr Wight said."If the development goes ahead in its current form, residents of this property will only have one staircase which they can use to evacuate. This could cost lives."A spokesperson for Hadley Clarion said the building was re-designed twice to comply with "evolving legislation". The Blenheim Square development will see the current shopping centre demolished and the construction of 230 homes, including 73 affordable homes, as well as commercial the plans were were first proposed in 2022, the law was changed requiring any new residential building in England more than 18m (59ft) to have two staircases installed as fire escape routes - part of a government response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower for one of the blocks initially designed to six storeys high, 18.74m (about 61ft), with a single staircase were then revised down to a height of the London Fire Brigade's continued concerns about fire safety, Bromley Council approved the development in March 2024. The mayor of London has the power to intervene in local authority planning decisions, but his office said the application was found to be "compliant with London Plan policies on fire safety" and that the mayor was "content" for Bromley Council to rule on the plans.A City Hall spokesperson added: "We aware of the FBU's concerns and hope FBU and Bromley can meet and find a solution that all parties are happy with."The Hadley Clarion spokesperson added: "At a time when London faces its worst housing crisis in generations, with record numbers across London - including in Bromley - living in temporary accommodation, town centre regeneration projects like Blenheim Square are exactly what the capital needs."
The Guardian
18-04-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
UK wildfires expose ‘postcode lottery' of firefighting resources, says union
Wildfires across the UK during hot, dry springs and summers have exposed a 'postcode lottery' of firefighting resources that must be addressed, the head of the Fire Brigades Union has said. Steve Wright, the general secretary, said public safety was at risk, and called for a statutory body to ensure that each fire and rescue service had enough staff and appliances. Data shows there were 286 wildfires between 1 January and 4 April 2025 – more than 100 above the number recorded in the same period in 2022, a year of record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented wildfire activity. The UK could be on track for its worst year on record for wildfires. Since 1 January, an area of more than 95 sq miles (24,600 hectares) has been scorched, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The Met Office said the fires were the result of dry and breezy conditions in spring, fuelled by plant growth during a damp winter. Scientists have said climate breakdown is increasing the risk of wildfires across the world. Union representatives in Northern Ireland suggest countryside wildfires have taken firefighters away from Belfast and Derry, putting the public at risk. Two years ago, officials had to take a fire appliance from a museum in Norfolk to tackle a wildfire there, Wright said. Last week, wildfires raged around the Mourne mountains above the seaside town of Newcastle, County Down. In Scotland, smoke from a blaze near Inverkip in Inverclyde drifted over Greenock on Monday. A spell of dry and warm weather is creating the perfect conditions for wildfires across the UK. The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said the UK recorded less than half the average rainfall for March, and that river flows were below normal across much of the country, with some rivers having had the lowest average March flows on record. There were also record March lows for groundwater in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and soils were drier than average in all areas apart from the Western Isles and Shetland. The centre said: 'The prolonged dry spell and above-average temperatures have led to a higher-than-usual frequency of wildfires for the time of year and concerns for agriculture at the start of the growing season. 'With settled weather continuing into early April and little appreciable rainfall, the outlook is for below-normal river flows for most areas over the next three months. A continuation of the dry conditions in the north and west, particularly this early in the year, would cause concern regarding water resources over coming months.' Wright said: 'We're calling for a statutory body to actually set national standards, because we've seen a fragmentation of standards under successive Conservative governments. Services are putting out fires but we need to ensure that we have enough firefighters and fire engines for everyday incidents. It's become a postcode lottery across the UK. 'An official in Northern Ireland said the resources that were thrown at these wildfires meant that in places such as Belfast and Derry, there was little fire cover, it was really having an impact. It should not have to take a major incident for politicians to actually understand what the impact this will have,' he said. Fire and rescue services do not receive any dedicated or protected funding for wildfire response. The costs of preparing for wildfires, and tackling the significant increase, are absorbed through core budgets, which are already under strain.
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Rise in ‘racist' online comments by members of unions, says FBU leader
Trade unions are becoming increasingly concerned by a rise in 'racist and bigoted' comments online from their own members and officials, the new leader of the Fire Brigades Union has told the Guardian. Steve Wright, the general secretary of the FBU, said internal inquiries into allegations of racism have uncovered dozens of cases where members have been found to use racist slurs or stereotypes, often regarding asylum seekers. Other unions have had similar incidents, he said. Together, a group of unions plan to launch a campaign warning that online populists and far-right organisations are distorting the truth about immigration and race. 'People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I've witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members. 'On social media, some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up. You'd like to think we're getting better, and we're not. 'So we have been talking to other unions and they have seen exactly the same problems,' he said. 'We are pushing for new policies within our union which will recognise that this is happening and address issues of racism and bigotry within the union. We also want the TUC to address this too.' At the FBU's annual conference in Blackpool next month, Wright will launch a statement calling for unions to counter far-right organisations and warn that they are distorting the truth about immigration and race. He blamed social media and the rise of far right and populist movements for emboldening some union members with anti-immigrant views to make racist comments online. 'It feels like an itch that we've got to scratch,' he said. 'I think it's born out of last year's riots because our members are representative of society. We have seen the rise of Trump and the politics of Farage and it is hugely damaging. But it has resonated with some of our members.' The FBU, usually regarded as one of Labour's most left wing affiliated unions, barred a former member of its governing body in November for allegedly making racist posts online. An X account using the name of the former official reposted and expressed approval for tweets by Britain First, its leader, Paul Golding, and the far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The account reposted a post saying 'vile Muslim scum' were 'infecting' Britain. In another post it said: 'Thankfully most of us don't have to endure this nonsense,' in response to a post by Golding that referred to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, turning on lights to mark Ramadan and which included the far-right conspiracy theory 'the great replacement' as a hashtag. Incidents of racism and misogyny at the London fire service were exposed more than two years ago by an inquiry into the culture of the UK's largest rescue organisation. In one incident logged in a report, a black firefighter had a noose put over his locker and in another, a Muslim colleague had bacon and sausages stuffed in his pockets and a terrorist hotline sign posted on his locker. Wright, 42, who has been a firefighter since he was 18, was elected general secretary in January, deposing Matt Wrack who was attempting to win a fifth term. He warned that the union could strike if there were any attempts to cut frontline services after comments from ministers claiming that departments will be expected to make cuts. 'The government cannot cut public services any more. Our members would move to industrial action if there are any more cuts right to the frontline service,' he said.
