News

People are angry with Theresa May for her response to the Grenfell Tower fire

Posted by
Tom Victor
Published

As families and friends come to terms with the tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower fire, some have hit out at the response of Theresa May.

The Prime Minister visited the site of the incident, in which at least 17 people are confirmed to have died at the time of writing, but is not thought to have spoken directly to residents at the scene.

When questioned by the BBC, who asked: “Some people there said they wished you’d visited residents and the community centres as well as the firefighters,” she replied: “Well, I visited the scene of this terrible fire this morning. I wanted a briefing from the emergency services. They’ve been working tirelessly in horrific conditions and I have been overwhelmed by their professionalism and their bravery.”

In contrast, Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn was seen attending to locals and listening to their concerns.

Corbyn said after his visit:“Some very hard questions have got to be asked and some very hard questions must be answered. The fire is not supposed to spread from one flat to another, it’s supposed to be contained. It wasn’t – it spread and it spread upwards and it spread outside as well through the cladding. Questions on the sprinkler system, questions on the fire breaks, questions on why the cladding apparently burnt, questions on building control regulations, questions on the safety.”

The contrasting responses of the two politicians has provoked plenty of discussion on social media.

Regardless of people’s opinions on the tragedy itself, there is a sense from some observers that the PM’s response should have been more like that displayed by Corbyn.

During his election campaign, the Labour leader pledged to build 1m new homes, half of them “for rent and totally affordable,” and has long been a proponent of affordable social housing.

More than £1m has been raised across a number of crowdfunding campaigns launched since the fire began in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with those who established the pages currently thought to be working on ways to ensure the money raised can effectively help survivors.

The Prime Minister has ordered a full public inquiry into the fire, following similar calls from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Those concerned for friends and family who may have been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire have been urged to contact the Casualty Bureau on 0800 0961 233.

(Image: Rex)

Next