Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP has been appointed Minister of State (Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire) in the Home Office under the new Labour government.
The ministerial role oversees policing standards and governance, neighbourhood policing, fire policy and operations, the criminal justice system, Young Futures, and Safer Streets.
Sharing her commitment to the new role, in July, Dame Diana stated on X (formerly Twitter): “As Policing Minister, I will do everything in my power to support the brave officers who keep our neighbourhoods safe.”
As reported by BBC News, prior to the election, Dame Diana was Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament.
In April, she chaired a topical Committee session regarding workplace culture in the fire and rescue services. As previously reported by the FPA, the session was held in light of recent independent reports of fire services in England, where concerns had been raised over bullying, harassment, and discrimination. At the time, Dame Diana said: “We are very concerned about a culture that does not seem to be one that you would expect to see in any public service in 2024”.
She also commended the bravery of those firefighters who had come forward to share their personal experiences: “The committee would also like to pay tribute to all those brave five firefighters who have come forward to explain where things have gone wrong in the fire service, where they haven't been treated properly and appropriately and have spoken out. Because that also takes a lot of bravery to do that. I have spoken to firefighters who are going through the process at the moment of calling out bad behaviour, and I know how stressful and difficult that is.”
As a Minister of State, Dame Diana joins Secretary of State for the Home Department Yvette Cooper. Other key ministerial appointments by newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer include Angela Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government (formerly referred to as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities).
(Photograph by the Home Office)