Labour U-turned today over plans to stop paying volunteer coastguards for attending emergencies.
In what might be the last about-turn under Sir Keir Starmer, ministers said they were dropping the plans after hundreds threatened to quit the service and amid a furious backlash from coastal MPs.
In a Commons statement, Transport minister Keir Mather said he had listened to the views of Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) and that a move to an expenses-only model had been ditched. The plans had been drawn up by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a Government agency.
Addressing MPs, Mr Mather said: ‘We want to ensure that CROs are treated with dignity, with respect and they are empowered to carry out the incredible duties that they do.
‘Having listened to the views and testimonies of CROs first hand, I can confirm that the move to the expenses-only volunteer model in September will not go ahead, and that current arrangements will remain in place.’
He refused to say whether he had confidence in bosses at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which claimed the plans were supported by CROs, adding: ‘When those on the ground raise concerns of the scale that we’ve seen and when the evidence base proves insufficient, it’s absolutely right that we pause and that we engage again.
‘That is exactly what taking this decision to not move ahead with the new model in September facilitates, to ensure that we treat CROs with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and most importantly get this system right.’
The vast majority of the Coastguard is made up of about 3,500 volunteers who help those in distress along 11,000 miles of British coastline
At present, CROs can claim an hourly rate of about £11 for attending incidents, training exercises and operational duties.
But Labour decided to try and cut their pay and move to an expenses-only model after a court ruled that the volunteers counted as workers because of it, which means they are entitled to employment rights.
The move sparked fury among volunteers, with some senior officers resigning immediately and others warning a quarter or more could quit or reduce their hours if the plans went ahead.
The vast majority of the Coastguard is made up of about 3,500 volunteers who help those in distress along 11,000 miles of British coastline, meaning a shortage of staff could mean hundreds of incidents potentially not being attended and lives being endangered.
Tory MP Joe Robertson, who represents Isle of Wight East, said: ‘It is very welcome news that the minister has seen sense and blocked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s brutal decision against its own brave frontline workers.’
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) said it was ‘a major win for coastguard volunteers’, adding that the ‘damaging plans would have put public safety at risk up and down the country and particularly in island communities.’
The GMB trade union hailed the decision.
Nicola Savage, a national officer at the union, said: ‘This is a richly deserved win for GMB’s coastguards, who took their campaign across the UK and into the corridors of power.’
