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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) | |
| 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 BST | 10.57am BST |
| 10:57 | 10:57 |
| Here’s audio of the Scotland Yard press conference on the Grenfell Tower fire. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.36am BST | |
| 10.51am BST | 10.51am BST |
| 10:51 | 10:51 |
| 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 BST | 10.44am BST |
| 10:44 | 10:44 |
| Police considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower fire | Police considering manslaughter charges over Grenfell Tower fire |
| Haroon Siddique | Haroon 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. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.58am BST | at 10.58am BST |
| 10.43am BST | 10.43am BST |
| 10:43 | 10:43 |
| 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 BST | 10.41am BST |
| 10:41 | 10:41 |
| 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. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.59am BST | at 10.59am BST |
| 10.33am BST | 10.33am BST |
| 10:33 | 10:33 |
| Jennifer Rankin | Jennifer 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 BST | 10.29am BST |
| 10:29 | 10:29 |
| 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. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.00am BST | at 11.00am BST |
| 10.13am BST | 10.13am BST |
| 10:13 | 10:13 |
| 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/Gts7kshTQN | Cladding being removed from Village 135 development in Wythenshawe, Manchester in the wake of Grenfell Tower fire. pic.twitter.com/Gts7kshTQN |
| 10.00am BST | 10.00am BST |
| 10:00 | 10:00 |
| 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 BST | 9.49am BST |
| 09:49 | 09:49 |
| 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? |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.50am BST | at 9.50am BST |
| 9.42am BST | 9.42am BST |
| 09:42 | 09:42 |
| 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. |