People are angry with Theresa May for her response to the Grenfell Tower fire
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- Tom Victor
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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.
Theresa May refused to meet #GrenfellTower residents. Jeremy Corbyn embraced them. A real PM.
— Rachael (@Rachael_Swindon) June 15, 2017
Video via @ATW1062 pic.twitter.com/O7RE0GmZMq
Distraught woman resident tells Jeremy Corbyn: "Theresa May was here but she didn't speak to any of us. She was s**t."
— Andy Lines (@andylines) June 15, 2017
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.
Jeremy Corbyn is currently walking around and listening to Grenfell Tower survivors. Because that's what leaders do.
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) June 15, 2017
Optics mean a lot in politics, particularly at times like this. Theresa May didn’t meet #grenfell residents. Corbyn did. pic.twitter.com/ncr0WmgFHW
— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) June 15, 2017
Tells us everything: Corbyn goes to the Grenfell Tower disaster and meets survivors, May poses for TV cameras and ignores victims https://t.co/daHLdAhw5o
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) June 15, 2017
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.
Key information for those affected by the fire at #GrenfellTower. For emergency rest centres visit @RBKC's website: https://t.co/vrCt46ZlJR pic.twitter.com/TpM5BSTxKO
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 15, 2017
(Image: Rex)