Listen: Fire Service Union says commissioner’s apology is hollow and York’s Labour leader says Philip Allott must resign

The Fire Brigades Union in North Yorkshire says the apology for comments made about the Sarah Everard case by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is “hollow”

The City of York Council’s Labour Group Leader has endorsed calls for the Commissioner to resign too.

Philip Allott faces a barrage of criticism for his remarks following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for the rape and murder of Sarah who was originally from York.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has told him to go and even his fellow Conservative, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was ‘outraged’ by his ‘stupid’ comments.

Mr Allott told BBC Radio York that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to the arrest.

Later he said he realised his comments “were both misconceived and insensitive and caused upset and distress”.

Mr Allott has made two apologies now but says he won’t resign. A petition calling for him to go has been signed by over seven thousand people.

In the wake of the comments North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union Brigade Secretary, Steve Howley, said the apology, in the opinion of his members, was a hollow one which lacked conviction and was a reaction to the public outcry. He added: “Over the past 24 hours I have received an unprecedented amount of correspondence from FBU members regarding Mr Allott’s comments – the common theme is outrage. In a situation where the focus should be on the tragic rape and murder of Sarah Everard and love for her family and friendship, his comments have shifted focus to his own outrageous and perspective-less comments.  “All public sector leaders that deal in trust should be reflecting on the lessons that can be learned from this tragedy and looking at how this can be avoided in the future, rather than blaming victims. “This criticism and concern is not in regard to rank-and-file police officers but in relation to the comments made by the PFCC.   “Given the laws that surround the election of PFCCs and MPs Mr Allott’s future is largely in his own hands. FBU members have made clear to us what his next steps should be. “Our members universally condemn Mr Allott’s comments and perspectives on this tragedy, and I can assure the public it is not reflective of the views of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the membership of North Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union”

Mr Allott said he realises his comments “were both misconceived and insensitive and have caused upset and distress”. He added:

“Clearly, I have much to learn, so as well as committing to working ever more closely with subject-matter expert colleagues in my own organisation and beyond,

I will be seeking meetings as soon as possible with local partner organisations across North Yorkshire and the city of York that provide services to tackle male violence against women and girls, in order to deliver on their concerns and broaden my understanding of the issues.”

In York the Labour Group Leader Pete Kilbane told YorkMix:

“We need a Commissioner who from the outset understands the level of harassment and violence women and girls face, not one who needs to learn about it on the job. 

Mr Allott’s comments showed an unacceptable lack of understanding of those risks, and it will take more than an apology to restore confidence that he is the right person for the job.

“We need a Commissioner who actively works to protect women and girls not one whose first reaction is to partly blame the victim.

“We need a Commissioner who leads a culture change within the Police and society in general, and our concern is this work could be set back years by such appalling attitudes.

“There are lots of fantastic police officers doing a great job and they deserve a Commissioner that will help them bring about meaningful change.

“Of course Mr Allott should resign, but like many who demonstrate themselves to be unfit for office, he will probably sit tight and wait for it all to blow over. 

Clearly, given the level of justified outrage, that is not going to happen and we call on Mr Allott to think again, do the decent thing and make way for someone better suited to the role.