On bonfire night, new analysis by Labour has revealed that the central Government grant to fire and rescue services has seen a real-terms cut of £314m or 27% since 2015/16.

The figures show that response times have gone up across the board under the Tories, the most significant increase has been in ‘other outdoor’ category with responses taking 1 minute and 28 seconds longer than in 2009/10.

It comes as the latest workforce statistics show a loss of 11,224 staff in total (including 9,399 firefighters) under the Tories.

Responding, Karen Lee MP, Shadow Minister for Fire Services, said:

“At this time of the year, we are reminded that our firefighters are on stand-by to protect us, while we are out and about on bonfire night.

“But a decade of Tory cuts has left our services short of money and short of firefighters, reducing the speed at which they can respond to emergencies.

“You cannot trust the Tories with our fire and rescue service.”