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Police considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower fire – Politics live Police considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower fire – Politics live
(35 minutes later)
12.07pm BST
12:07
George Osborne’s London Evening Standard has more on the “problem with Theresa May’s position on European citizens living in Britain.”
Here’s his paper latest editorial.
Once again, this morning, millions of families wake up among us not knowing whether they will be allowed to remain in the country where they have chosen to make their lives. There has to be a very strong reason of national interest even to contemplate causing such upset. There isn’t.
It seems very unlikely Spain would kick out our expats on the Costa del Sol, or that France would depopulate the Dordogne. But even if they did, no one really believes that Britain would deport the three million European citizens who live and work here. Why not? Because it would be a massive act of self-harm. As Mrs May said in February: “EU citizens living in the UK make a vital contribution to our economy and society and without them we would be poorer and our public services weaker.”
Threatening to make yourself poorer and your NHS weaker isn’t very credible. Nor does anyone believe that, even if she wanted to, Mrs May has the numbers to carry out her threat. She has barely persuaded her Conservative colleagues to back her plan. Last June, in the days immediately after the referendum, David Cameron wanted to reassure EU citizens they would be allowed to stay. All his Cabinet agreed with that unilateral offer, except his Home Secretary, Mrs May, who insisted on blocking it. A vote in the Commons earlier this year was only carried with a nod and a wink to Tory MPs behind the scenes that she didn’t really mean it. Since then, the Government has lost its majority and it seems likely that an opposition motion to grant EU citizens the right to remain unilaterally could be carried.
Our @EveningStandard editorial on why PM's threat isn't credible: we should unilaterally let EU citizens stay in UK https://t.co/qExngLVW8N
Updated
at 12.09pm BST
11.59am BST
11:59
Manfred Weber, chair of the centre-right European People’s party, of which Angela Merkel is a leading light, has given a scathing assessment of May’s offer on EU citizens.
If PM May cannot come up with a more concrete proposal it is quite worrying for the rest of the #Brexit negotiations. #EUCO #EUcitizens 2/2
His comments suggest Merkel was simply being diplomatic when when she described May’s offer as a “good start”.
11.56am BST
11:56
Government orders examination of Hotpoint fridge freezer
Number 10 said technical experts were undertaking urgent tests on the Hotpoint fridge model that was found to have started the Grenfell fire. The model may yet be recalled if tests prove that there are flaws and any decision to recall will be taken shortly.“Following the Met’s statement, the government has ordered an immediate examination of this unit by technical experts to establish the cause of the incident,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
“This testing will establish if further action if required.”Consumers who believe they may own a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) are being advised to contact Whirlpool Corporation, the fridge’s manufacturer, but the government said at this stage there was no specific reason for consumers to switch off their fridge freezer pending further investigation.In a statement, business secretary Greg Clark said: “The safety of consumers is paramount. The device is being subject to immediate and rigorous testing to establish the cause of the fire. I have made clear to the company that I will expect them to replace any item without delay if it is established that there is a risk in using them.”
Updated
at 12.10pm BST
11.51am BST
11:51
Hotpoint has issued this statement:
“Words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy. We offer our most profound condolences to the victims, those who have lost loved-ones, homes, and possessions, and to their friends and families. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved, including the emergency services who risked their lives to extinguish the blaze and rescue those in the building.
“We have just been informed that the fire may have originated in a Hotpoint fridge freezer (model number FF175BP).
“We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations. Under these circumstances, we are unable to speculate on further details at this time. We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency and assisting the authorities in any way we can. We will provide additional updates as our investigations progress.
“Consumers who believe they may have a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP or FF175BG should call our freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer so that we can register their details and contact them with further information.”
11.47am BST
11:47
Lisa O'Carroll
Britons in Europe have vented their anger at May’s offer to EU citizens in the UK, saying she has “spun” the offer as something “generous” when it falls far short of the offer the EU made to Britons on 12 June.
Dave Spokes, a spokesman for the Ex Pats Citizens Rights in Europe said:
“We are not surprised that Mr Junker has described Theresa May’s offer on citizens rights as ‘not sufficient’.
“This reflects our own assessment. It seems a very odd strategy for the UK to offer less support for citizens than that being offered by the EU. Should they not be encouraging the the EU to give more?
“This is not a negotiation to get the lowest possible price. It is, or should be, a negotiation to gain the best support for real people - a country’s citizens.”
11.43am BST
11:43
Severin Carrell
Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed Theresa May’s offer to allow EU citizens rights to stay in the UK after Brexit, but condemned the long delay in offering reassurances.
Speaking to reporters at the Royal Highland Show, Scotland’s preeminent agricultural show, on the anniversary of last year’s EU referendum result, the first minister said she needed to see “the devil in the detail” of the offer before reaching a final view on whether it went far enough.
“It has taken a year to get to this point and I think that’s disgraceful because the uncertainty caused to EU nationals has been considerable,” Sturgeon said. “And I think we will already have seen some choose to leave because of that uncertainty but the detail now matters.
“When we see that we will be able to see whether this goes far enough, or not, and it may well be in some cases it doesn’t.”
The Scottish government has been pressing UK ministers to offer EU citizens full residency, alongside protecting free movement for EU citizens, including migrant workers seen as essential by fruit and vegetable farmers. She said the details which needed clarification included confirmation of the cut-off date for applications and the rights of family members.
Sturgeon also reiterated her call for Holyrood to have full control after Brexit over common agricultural payments in Scotland, currently worth around £500m a year, to allow it to introduce subsidies tailored to the needs of Scottish farmers.
Holyrood has protected less favoured area subsidies for hill farmers which were abolished in England, amongst other distinctive policies. It is feared that Michael Gove, the new UK environment secretary, will insist on UK-wide farming policies and payments.
11.40am BST
11:40
Here are the main points from McCormack’s statement and press conference:
79 people missing and presumed dead
The number that we have of presumed, confirmed dead, or missing still remains at 79, with nine people being formally identified as dead.
I know that there is a fear that that number is a lot higher and I do not want any hidden victims of this tragedy. We are prioritising establishing exactly who is was in Grenfell Tower that night.
Immigration amnesty
The Home Office has assured us that they will not use this tragedy to check people immigration status, and neither will the police. I urge people now who now people who were in that tower that night, either as resident of people visiting to phone the incident room on 0800 032 4539.
The investigation
This is one of the largest and most complex investigations that the Metropolitan police has ever undertaken. There are currently over 250 specialist investigators working on all aspects of this investigation. It will establish how the fire started and the speed and spread that it took hold of that building.
There are two points of priority for me: the speed that it spread through the building but also the internal safety aspects of that building. On the first point: we are examining with experts the aluminium cladding and the insulation behind the cladding; how the tiles were fixed to the building; and how it was installed.
Cladding failed test
Preliminary tests on the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower show that they combusted soon after the test started. The initial test on the cladding tiles also failed the safety tests. Such are our safety concerns on the outcome of those tests, we have shared our data with the department of communities and local government, and we have ensured that that information data has been shared with every council.
Fire started with a Hotpoint fridge freezer
We are also concerned about the fridge freezer in this matter and we have been working with the department of energy, business, and industrial strategy who are working with Hotpoint on the safety of that fridge. We know this fire wasn’t started deliberately and we know that the fridge freezer in this matter has never been subject of a product recall before.
600 emergency calls some over an hour long
We have seized a huge amount of CCTV and we have received over 70 images and moving footage following our appeals.
On the night we received over 600 999 calls made to fire, ambulance and the police and we have listened to everyone of those to truly understand the fire and how it took hold that night. Some of those calls are over an hour long and truly harrowing in their content.
We have started to take statements from the occupants and visitors to Grenfell tower that night and this work will continue.
Every organisation involved in refurbishment being investigated
In terms of seizing relevant material from a number of organisations I can confirm that that has already started.
If I find out that individuals or organisations have committed offences then I must be in a position to prosecute without prejudice to any proceedings. We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.
We are not raiding. We have seized documents.
Search will last until the end of the year at least
Our search of Grenfell Tower to recover all those inside and return them to their loved ones continues. The working conditions are difficult and distressing in many ways. Such is that devastation this may take at least until the end of the year. And there is a terrible reality that we may not find or identify all those who died during the fire. Which is why I appeal to people who know people who are still missing to please come forward.
It is dangerous scene and so the investigation has to be done extremely sensitively. Working with the coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox on this and her and my absolute wish, is that we recover everything we can from that scene, and that we treat everybody there with integrity and dignity.
Updated
at 11.40am BST
10.57am BST10.57am BST
10:5710:57
Here’s audio of the Scotland Yard press conference on the Grenfell Tower fire.Here’s audio of the Scotland Yard press conference on the Grenfell Tower fire.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.36am BSTat 11.36am BST
10.51am BST10.51am BST
10:5110:51
McCormack says she fears more people were killed in the fire. She warns that some bodies may never be recovered and that the search of the building could take the rest of the year.McCormack says she fears more people were killed in the fire. She warns that some bodies may never be recovered and that the search of the building could take the rest of the year.
10.44am BST10.44am BST
10:4410:44
Police considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower firePolice considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower fire
Haroon SiddiqueHaroon Siddique
Police have said they are considering manslaughter charges in relation to the deadly Grenfell Tower blaze as they revealed that both the insulation and tiles at the building failed safety tests.Police have said they are considering manslaughter charges in relation to the deadly Grenfell Tower blaze as they revealed that both the insulation and tiles at the building failed safety tests.
Det Supt Fiona McCormack, who is overseeing the investigation, said officers had established that the initial cause of the fire was a fridge-freezer and that it was not started deliberately.Det Supt Fiona McCormack, who is overseeing the investigation, said officers had established that the initial cause of the fire was a fridge-freezer and that it was not started deliberately.
She said they were trying to get to the bottom of why the fire started so quickly. Insulation recovered from Grenfell Tower had been tested, while the tiles tested were the same as those in the building. Both failed the safety tests, with the insulation proving “more flammable than the cladding”. Investigators will now seek to establish whether the use of these materials was illegal.She said they were trying to get to the bottom of why the fire started so quickly. Insulation recovered from Grenfell Tower had been tested, while the tiles tested were the same as those in the building. Both failed the safety tests, with the insulation proving “more flammable than the cladding”. Investigators will now seek to establish whether the use of these materials was illegal.
The manufacturer of the fridge freezer, a Hotpoint FF175BP, has been contacted, McCormack said. The model has not been previously subject to a recall.The manufacturer of the fridge freezer, a Hotpoint FF175BP, has been contacted, McCormack said. The model has not been previously subject to a recall.
Police said the official death toll had risen to nine but the number presumed dead remains 79.Police said the official death toll had risen to nine but the number presumed dead remains 79.
McCormack said every complete body had been recovered from the building, describing it as a “very, very distressing scene”.McCormack said every complete body had been recovered from the building, describing it as a “very, very distressing scene”.
Theresa May has warned that the death toll could yet rise further.Theresa May has warned that the death toll could yet rise further.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.58am BSTat 10.58am BST
10.43am BST10.43am BST
10:4310:43
Speaking outside Scotland Yard, McCormack said 79 people are still missing presumed dead after the Grenfell fire.Speaking outside Scotland Yard, McCormack said 79 people are still missing presumed dead after the Grenfell fire.
10.41am BST10.41am BST
10:4110:41
The Grenfell Tower fire started in a faulty fridge, and insulation and tiles onthe block have failed safety tests, according to Metropolitan olice Det Supt Fiona McCormack.The Grenfell Tower fire started in a faulty fridge, and insulation and tiles onthe block have failed safety tests, according to Metropolitan olice Det Supt Fiona McCormack.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.59am BSTat 10.59am BST
10.33am BST10.33am BST
10:3310:33
Jennifer RankinJennifer Rankin
EU leaders have described the UK’s opening offer to protect EU citizens’ rights as vague and inadequate, suggesting the British government needs to go further.EU leaders have described the UK’s opening offer to protect EU citizens’ rights as vague and inadequate, suggesting the British government needs to go further.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, struck a dismissive note as he arrived at an EU leaders’ summit on Friday. “That is a first step but this step is not sufficient,” he said.Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, struck a dismissive note as he arrived at an EU leaders’ summit on Friday. “That is a first step but this step is not sufficient,” he said.
Asked whether he was any clearer about the kind of Brexit the UK wants, he was equally blunt: “No.”Asked whether he was any clearer about the kind of Brexit the UK wants, he was equally blunt: “No.”
May set out the offer on protecting EU citizens’ rights at the end of a dinner in Brussels on Thursday evening. She said it was “a fair and serious offer to protect the rights of 3.5 million EU citizens in the UK and 1.2 million Britons in the EU.”May set out the offer on protecting EU citizens’ rights at the end of a dinner in Brussels on Thursday evening. She said it was “a fair and serious offer to protect the rights of 3.5 million EU citizens in the UK and 1.2 million Britons in the EU.”
10.29am BST10.29am BST
10:2910:29
Theresa May’s offer on residency rights for EU citizens has been dismissed as “pathetic” by a group campaigning for an estimated three million European expats in the UK, the Press Association reports.Theresa May’s offer on residency rights for EU citizens has been dismissed as “pathetic” by a group campaigning for an estimated three million European expats in the UK, the Press Association reports.
Co-chair of the 3Million movement, Nicolas Hatton, said: “There is something slightly pathetic about the prime minister’s proposal which makes no reference to the detailed, comprehensive offer tabled by the EU. The Prime Minister described her proposal as fair and serious. It’s neither fair nor serious.”Co-chair of the 3Million movement, Nicolas Hatton, said: “There is something slightly pathetic about the prime minister’s proposal which makes no reference to the detailed, comprehensive offer tabled by the EU. The Prime Minister described her proposal as fair and serious. It’s neither fair nor serious.”
The 3Million said May’s proposals failed to end uncertainty over the reunification of families, the right to work, the recognition of professional qualifications and the ability to retain UK rights when moving between and working across different European countries.The 3Million said May’s proposals failed to end uncertainty over the reunification of families, the right to work, the recognition of professional qualifications and the ability to retain UK rights when moving between and working across different European countries.
And the group said the UK offer lacked the lifetime guarantee of rights and enforcement by the European Court of Justice included in the formal proposal already tabled by the EU.And the group said the UK offer lacked the lifetime guarantee of rights and enforcement by the European Court of Justice included in the formal proposal already tabled by the EU.
May has promised further details in a government paper to be published on Monday.May has promised further details in a government paper to be published on Monday.
The cut-off date for residency rights - falling somewhere between the 29 March 2017 date of Britain’s formal notification of intent to leave and the date of Brexit, expected on 29 March 2019 - will not be known until later in the negotiation process.The cut-off date for residency rights - falling somewhere between the 29 March 2017 date of Britain’s formal notification of intent to leave and the date of Brexit, expected on 29 March 2019 - will not be known until later in the negotiation process.
It is thought the UK is reserving the option of setting an early cut-off for residency rights in case there is a late surge of migrants arriving as Brexit approaches.It is thought the UK is reserving the option of setting an early cut-off for residency rights in case there is a late surge of migrants arriving as Brexit approaches.
But the introduction of a grace period raises the prospect that large numbers arriving during withdrawal negotiations may be allowed to remain. And the prospect of an early cut-off conflicts with the EU proposals, which would grant residency rights all the way up to the final date of withdrawal.But the introduction of a grace period raises the prospect that large numbers arriving during withdrawal negotiations may be allowed to remain. And the prospect of an early cut-off conflicts with the EU proposals, which would grant residency rights all the way up to the final date of withdrawal.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.00am BSTat 11.00am BST
10.13am BST10.13am BST
10:1310:13
Cladding is being stripped from a Manchester tower block as urgent tests are taking place on dozens more around the city, the Manchester Evening News reports.Cladding is being stripped from a Manchester tower block as urgent tests are taking place on dozens more around the city, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Work was being carried out last night to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe after concerns were raised about the cladding.Work was being carried out last night to strip material from a residential block in the Village 135 development in Wythenshawe after concerns were raised about the cladding.
Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) which run the block however, say they were taking no chances and work to remove the material began this afternoon.Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) which run the block however, say they were taking no chances and work to remove the material began this afternoon.
Cladding being removed from Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester in the wake of Grenfell Tower fire. pic.twitter.com/Gts7kshTQNCladding being removed from Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester in the wake of Grenfell Tower fire. pic.twitter.com/Gts7kshTQN
10.00am BST10.00am BST
10:0010:00
Police are due to give a briefing on the Grenfell Tower investigation at New Scotland Yard in the next few minutes.Police are due to give a briefing on the Grenfell Tower investigation at New Scotland Yard in the next few minutes.
9.49am BST9.49am BST
09:4909:49
For students of sibling rivalry, this could fun: Ed Miliband is due to interview his brother David, on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show at 1pm.For students of sibling rivalry, this could fun: Ed Miliband is due to interview his brother David, on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show at 1pm.
On today's show, I'll be talking to my brother David about the refugee crisis---the problem, solution and our own family's refugee history.On today's show, I'll be talking to my brother David about the refugee crisis---the problem, solution and our own family's refugee history.
A scoop for @Ed_Miliband today: he's interviewing brother @DMiliband on the @theJeremyVine show. Goes live at 1pm - public reconciliation?A scoop for @Ed_Miliband today: he's interviewing brother @DMiliband on the @theJeremyVine show. Goes live at 1pm - public reconciliation?
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.50am BSTat 9.50am BST
9.42am BST9.42am BST
09:4209:42
Labour MP David Lammy, whose friend Khadija Saye died in the Grenfell fire, is concerned that the current focus on cladding is diverting attention from the “criminal” failures at Grenfell Tower.Labour MP David Lammy, whose friend Khadija Saye died in the Grenfell fire, is concerned that the current focus on cladding is diverting attention from the “criminal” failures at Grenfell Tower.
(2/?) Yes, we are uncovering a national problem. But that doesn't mean that Grenfell is not a crime, or should be brushed under the carpet.(2/?) Yes, we are uncovering a national problem. But that doesn't mean that Grenfell is not a crime, or should be brushed under the carpet.
(4/) Grenfell victims tried to raise these issues. Fire alarms didn't work. People were told to stay in their homes as their homes burned.(4/) Grenfell victims tried to raise these issues. Fire alarms didn't work. People were told to stay in their homes as their homes burned.
(6/) We still haven't heard from the police investigation. If the debate moves on from Grenfell, those responsible will get away with it.(6/) We still haven't heard from the police investigation. If the debate moves on from Grenfell, those responsible will get away with it.
(7/7). So I will try to use my voice to speak up for the victims and survivors of Grenfell, and I hope that others will join me.(7/7). So I will try to use my voice to speak up for the victims and survivors of Grenfell, and I hope that others will join me.