Official decision on whether to demolish Grenfell Tower to be announced
Official decision on whether to demolish Grenfell Tower to be announced
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An official decision on whether to demolish Grenfell Tower is set to be made on Friday. Bereaved families and survivors of the tower block fire are understood to have been told by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on Wednesday that it will be demolished. Ms Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, is understood to have been met with gasps from shocked families who felt there had not been enough consultation.
An official update will be given on Friday, but the Government has previously said there will be no changes to the west London site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June. Former housing secretary Michael Gove said that at some stage the tower would have to be taken down. Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There needs to a sensitive conversation with the community about the means, the manner and the timing of that, and I have every reason to believe that the department and Angela Rayner are doing that.”.
He added: “Even as the tower is brought down, it’s really important that the Government and other agencies accelerate the pursuit of justice, because for some people who are deeply affected by the tragedy, the continuing presence of the tower, painful as it is, is still a goad to the conscience of the nation to ensure that those, particularly those construction product manufacturers, who were responsible for the tragedy, are pursued in the right way.”.
Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved and survivors, said it appeared from the room on Wednesday that “no-one supported” the Government’s decision. It is understood some asked if the decision could be reversed. Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the victims of the disaster, which claimed the lives of 72 people in 2017, must always be “in our mind’s eye”, when asked about their claims of a lack of consultation.
