‘We must all acknowledge the part we played’: Ex-PM Theresa May leads political apologies for Grenfell

Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire, has warned that all those in authority needed to accept their responsibility for the tragedy.

With prime minister Sir Keir Starmer apologising on behalf of the British state for the events which led to the deaths of 54 adults and 18 children, Baroness May added her voice to those calling for justice.

She said: “Government, national and local, regulators and the corporate industry must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy – a tragedy that, in the words of Sir Martin Moore-Bick, did not ‘come out of the blue’.”

Rishi Sunak added that the report was “a damning indictment” of 30 years of failure.

He added: “The state let you down and that must never happen again.”

With thousands of buildings still covered in the lethal cladding which was responsible for the spread of the blaze and a fire in Dagenham last month underlying that the threat of a repeat of the tragedy still existing, politicians came together to admit work needs to be more urgently pushed through.

Sir Keir acknowledged to the victims’ families: “I want to say you have been let down so badly before, during and after this tragedy.”

While Baroness May has apologised for her government’s role in failing to respond well enough to the tragedy, her predecessor Lord David Cameron whose government ignored years of warnings over the ACM cladding, has decided not to make a statement.

The official report today criticised the “muddled response” by local and central government to the tragedy at the time and Baroness May has previously admitted that her response at the time was “not good enough” and has apologised.

In a statement today, she said: “Today’s report into the Grenfell Tower fire is a significant step in providing the Grenfell community with the answers they deserve after 72 people died – deaths that we now know were avoidable – while the lives of their loved ones, and all those living in and around the tower, were changed irrevocably that night.

“I would like to thank Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his team for the dedication and tenacity they have shown in getting to the truth and for this forensic and powerful final report.

“I know that, while necessary, the inquiry process can be immensely distressing for all those involved. I would like to pay tribute to the bereaved families and the survivors for the dignity they have shown in the face of a tragedy so extreme, it is beyond our imagining.

“Children, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, good friends and loving partners, were all lost the night of the fire.

“Amid this devastation, the people of Grenfell not only began rebuilding their lives, they also consistently campaigned for justice for those who died.

“Government, national and local, regulators and the corporate industry must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy – a tragedy that, in the words of Sir Martin, did not ‘come out of the blue’.

“A new government is now responsible for delivering the inquiry’s final recommendations. I hope they will treat this as a priority. I am acutely conscious that while today marks an important milestone, for the families the path to justice has not yet reached its end. More than seven years on, the Grenfell community still needs our support. Perhaps most importantly of all, they need us not to forget. Only then can we deliver the change that Sir Martin has rightly and clearly called for.”

Sir Keir described visiting the tower recently to lay flowers.

Sir Keir Starmer said he intends to speed up the process of removing unsafe cladding from buildings, as it is currently moving “far too slow”. He has said that he intends to write to companies who have not carried out remedial work on dangerous buildings and warned that they can lose out on government contracts.

Outlining the government’s next steps following the Grenfell Inquiry report, the prime minister said: “We’re now addressing the recommendation from Sir Martin’s first report to introduce a new residential personal emergency evacuation plan policy for anyone whose ability to evacuate could be compromised, and funding from this from renting and social housing.

“We will look at all 58 of Sir Martin’s recommendations in detail.

“There will be a debate on the floor of this House, we will respond in full to the inquiry’s recommendations within six months, and we will update Parliament annually on our progress against every commitment that we make.

“But there are some things I can say right now, there are still buildings today with unsafe cladding, and the speed at which this is being addressed is far, far too slow, we only have to look at the fire in Dagenham last week, a building that was still in the process of having its cladding removed.

“So this must be a moment of change, we will take the necessary steps to speed this up, we will be willing to force freeholders to assess their buildings and enter remediation schemes within set timetables, with a legal requirement to force action if that is what it takes, and we will set out further steps on remediation this autumn.”

Mother of the House Diane Abbott asked why the burnt out building is still in place after seven years.

She asked thatvictims families do not “have to wait another seven years for justice to be done on those responsible.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, whose party was in government when warnings about claddings were made, said: “The report today shames our society. On behalf of my party I apologise for our role in it.”

Sir Ed has been criticised for his role in the Horizon/ Post Office scandal as post office minister in the coalition government. But referring to this scandal, Grenfell and infected blood, he said that there is a need for legislation on “a duty of candour” by public officials needs to be brought forward “as quickly as possible”.

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk