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| Corbyn urges May to 'get a grip' of Grenfell Tower aftermath | Corbyn urges May to 'get a grip' of Grenfell Tower aftermath |
| (7 months later) | |
| Labour leader calls fire security a ‘nationwide threat’ while Diane Abbott says Tories offer social housing residents ‘second-class’ safety standards | |
| Kevin Rawlinson | |
| Sat 24 Jun 2017 20.59 BST | |
| First published on Sat 24 Jun 2017 16.11 BST | |
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| Theresa May must “get a grip” of the Grenfell Tower aftermath, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said, as it emerged that 34 high-rise buildings across the country have been deemed unsafe and thousands of people in London were evacuated from their homes. | Theresa May must “get a grip” of the Grenfell Tower aftermath, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said, as it emerged that 34 high-rise buildings across the country have been deemed unsafe and thousands of people in London were evacuated from their homes. |
| Corbyn called the situation a “nationwide threat” and called on the prime minister to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee Cobra to deal with it. | Corbyn called the situation a “nationwide threat” and called on the prime minister to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee Cobra to deal with it. |
| “I urge the government to make sure all necessary support, including, crucially, financial support, is urgently made available to councils across the country so they can deal swiftly and effectively with the scale of the fire safety challenge,” he said on Saturday. | “I urge the government to make sure all necessary support, including, crucially, financial support, is urgently made available to councils across the country so they can deal swiftly and effectively with the scale of the fire safety challenge,” he said on Saturday. |
| The government announced earlier in the day that tower blocks in 15 different areas of the country had failed fire safety tests carried out in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, in which the authorities believe at least 79 people died. | The government announced earlier in the day that tower blocks in 15 different areas of the country had failed fire safety tests carried out in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, in which the authorities believe at least 79 people died. |
| “This is now a nationwide threat and the prime minister needs to get a grip and lead a national response, including convening the Cobra committee to coordinate government and public action,” Corbyn added. | “This is now a nationwide threat and the prime minister needs to get a grip and lead a national response, including convening the Cobra committee to coordinate government and public action,” Corbyn added. |
| After fire officials in London told Camden council they could not guarantee the safety of residents in one estate on Friday, an evacuation of five high-rise buildings that were home to about 4,000 people was ordered. | After fire officials in London told Camden council they could not guarantee the safety of residents in one estate on Friday, an evacuation of five high-rise buildings that were home to about 4,000 people was ordered. |
| The Labour leader added that his thoughts were with those residents. “This is a disruptive and worrying time for them,” he said, adding that the Labour-led council had “taken a difficult decision on the advice of fire safety experts, but the safety of residents must always come first”. | The Labour leader added that his thoughts were with those residents. “This is a disruptive and worrying time for them,” he said, adding that the Labour-led council had “taken a difficult decision on the advice of fire safety experts, but the safety of residents must always come first”. |
| Earlier in the day, the party’s shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said the Conservatives’ attitude to social housing contributed to the disaster, adding that she believed “hundreds of people” had died. | Earlier in the day, the party’s shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said the Conservatives’ attitude to social housing contributed to the disaster, adding that she believed “hundreds of people” had died. |
| “Grenfell house [sic] is not just an accident. Grenfell house is not just an unfortunate incident. Those hundreds of people that died is a direct consequence of Tory attitudes in social housing,” she told a Labour Progress group conference. | “Grenfell house [sic] is not just an accident. Grenfell house is not just an unfortunate incident. Those hundreds of people that died is a direct consequence of Tory attitudes in social housing,” she told a Labour Progress group conference. |
| “The Tories think people in social housing are second-class citizens. And as we have seen from Grenfell house, they are offering them second-class standards of safety. So, a direct consequence of that. A direct consequence of outsourcing ... and a direct consequence of deregulation.” | “The Tories think people in social housing are second-class citizens. And as we have seen from Grenfell house, they are offering them second-class standards of safety. So, a direct consequence of that. A direct consequence of outsourcing ... and a direct consequence of deregulation.” |
| Speaking after the event, Abbott said: “I think we are going to find that the numbers of people that have died will be in triple figures, just because it’s a 23-storey [sic] block.” The building has 24 storeys. | Speaking after the event, Abbott said: “I think we are going to find that the numbers of people that have died will be in triple figures, just because it’s a 23-storey [sic] block.” The building has 24 storeys. |
| Abbott said people in government needed to answer questions about why they did not implement recommendations made after previous fires. | Abbott said people in government needed to answer questions about why they did not implement recommendations made after previous fires. |
| The number of high-rise buildings nationwide found after testing to be a fire risk was given as 27 early on Saturday, but seven more were announced late in the evening, bringing the total to 34. | The number of high-rise buildings nationwide found after testing to be a fire risk was given as 27 early on Saturday, but seven more were announced late in the evening, bringing the total to 34. |
| Grenfell Tower fire | |
| Jeremy Corbyn | |
| Theresa May | |
| Labour | |
| Conservatives | |
| London | |
| news | |
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