As a new Fire Commissioner prepares to take the helm of the London Fire Brigade this Friday, Assembly Member Hina Bokhari OBE is calling for urgent action to address the ongoing challenge of institutional racism and misogyny.
“The alarm bells are still ringing at the London Fire Brigade,” said AM Bokhari. “Despite the watershed Nazir Afzal report in 2022 that exposed a culture of institutional racism and misogyny, progress on meaningful reform has been painfully slow.”
During her tenure as Chair of the London Assembly’s Fire Committee, AM Bokhari led a cross-party investigation into the Brigade’s workplace culture. The investigation revealed disturbing accounts from current and former firefighters who experienced racist and misogynistic bullying and discrimination, as well as fears of repercussions for reporting misconduct.
“The LFB’s new Professional Standards Unit, while a step in the right direction, remains slow, under-resourced, and crucially, lacks true independence from the Brigade’s internal hierarchy,” AM Bokhari stated. “For real culture change to happen, we need proper external oversight and accountability.”
AM Bokhari is calling on the new Commissioner to implement the Assembly’s cross-party recommendations as a matter of priority and:
Appoint an independent Standards Commissioner outside the Brigade’s hierarchy to oversee misconduct investigations
Welcome and work constructively with external scrutiny from the Fire Inspectorate and London Assembly
Implement regular, transparent workforce surveys
Accelerate the recruitment and retention of diverse firefighters
Protect and properly fund diversity and inclusion programs despite budget pressures

“In today’s political climate, with active campaigns against equity and inclusion initiatives, it is more important than ever that the LFB’s new leader makes concrete commitments to drive transparency and accountability from the top,” AM Bokhari emphasized.
“When firefighters fear bullying, harassment, or retaliation, the safety of both personnel and the public is compromised. A fire service that tolerates discrimination internally cannot serve a city as diverse as London effectively.”