Labour must scrap life-threatening cuts to Coastguard helicopters

Anyone who lives close to the sea will, I suspect, have at some point contemplated what it must be like to be tossed about in the frigid and turbulent waters that surround our shores. It is not – with apologies to the bravest of wild swimmers – a prospect that many would relish.

If those waters seem daunting from the shoreline, they are orders of magnitude more dangerous for those who work at sea. Whether it is for storms, breakdowns or medical issues, callouts to the emergency services have a rather different degree of urgency when you are floating miles from dry land. In such moments, every second counts.

That is why the proposal from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to quadruple target response times for Coastguard bases, like the one at Sumburgh in Shetland, is so deeply concerning. It gives the impression of a government body which has lost sight of their responsibility to coastal and island communities. The question now is whether the new Labour government is prepared to scrap this plan for good.

Coastguard helicopters must provide a prompt service (Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe) | Getty Images

Unreliable information

The proposed change, from a 15-minute response time to 60 minutes, is no mere technical tweak. It could very literally mean the difference between life and death at sea. This is an essential service which we cut at our peril. That is why I have secured a parliamentary debate on the future of the Coastguard helicopter services, to be held this coming Tuesday.

This is not, as they say, my first rodeo. I previously led a debate on the plans when they were revealed by whistleblowers in late 2023. Ministers from the previous government committed to a review into the proposals and conceded that the data behind the decision may have not been entirely reliable (that is government code for “whoops, you caught us”).

That review was supposed to have reported and been published by the end of 2024 but there has been no sign of it as of yet. Even allowing for an election and a change of government, the people who rely upon the search-and-rescue helicopter service – fishermen, offshore energy workers and far more besides – cannot wait any longer.

Test of common sense

Search-and-rescue helicopters are a blue light service for the Northern Isles, no less than an ambulance or a fire engine is in a major city. The blunt truth is that the more you strip back these services, the more likely it will be that people fall through the gaps and lives are lost.

If that happens, it will not be due to lack of willingness on the part of those on the frontline. The work of our Coastguard crews, year in and year out, is exceptional. Almost every week in my constituency, particularly in winter, there are new stories of emergencies they have taken on. We can all be proud of the actions they take to protect life in the most challenging conditions – but we must resource them properly.

All indications are that the proposed cuts of 2023 were made on the basis of faulty data and faulty judgment. Reversing the proposals will be a test of basic common sense for the Labour government. It is up to them if they pass the test – or dive back into those turbulent waters.

Alistair Carmichael is the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland