Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway and Adil Ray grilled Diana Johnson over findings that staff uniforms are ill-fitting and have led to severe symptoms
Labour MP Diana Johnson left ITV viewers furious after she was interviewed on Good Morning Britain today (Friday, 1 August). The Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire was quizzed by Kate Garraway after a survey of officers and staff in England and Wales revealed that uniforms are ill-fitting and have led to severe symptoms, some of which have required multiple surgeries. Kate Garraway said the serious discomfort was “quite extraordinary” and asked Diana if she was aware if the uniforms were fit for purpose. The Labour MP replied: “You won’t be surprised to know that I’ve had conversations with front-line police officers about their uniform, and about trousers in particular.
“We know that for women police officers, trousers that are often unisex don’t fit properly. Some of the body-worn items that officers have to wear are not always well-designed. I’m fully aware of these real challenges. We should be able to get this right. They need to be fit for purpose. I fully recognise what you say.”
Diana Johnson was quizzed on Good Morning Britain by Kate Garraway (Image: ITV)
She added, “We think we can do this better together and cheaper, and particularly uniforms for officers who put themselves in danger.”
Viewers at home were not impressed by the interview and the findings, as one person moaned on X: “Sorry but this is nothing new! Some officers have been munching their gums about this and officer safety equipment since its introduction. Normally, the ones trying to make a claim off their forces.”
A second also commented online: “Typical Labour just blame previous Govt. Like “smash the gangs” – that’s working well – not. Garraway as per norm, not telling her to stop blaming last gov. 14 years etc. they’ve had 14 months, we had Covid & Ukraine – Labour have been useless and still are. Get rid of them now.”
The interview came after The Guardian reported on examples of the harm police officers say they’ve experienced because of ill-fitting and low-quality uniforms.
Staff also told the publication how criminals warned them their uniforms left key areas of their body exposed, and even posed as a “guide” as to where they could potentially be stabbed.
In collaboration with the Police Federation of England and Wales, almost 21,000 police officers and staff responded to the survey conducted by Lancaster University law school.
