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Boris Johnson makes statement to MPs about Grenfell fire inquiry report – live news Boris Johnson makes statement to MPs about Grenfell fire inquiry report – live news
(32 minutes later)
Turning to the “stay put” doctrine, May says this doctrine had been developed for good reasons.
The problem was, there was no flexibility in implementing this, she says.
She says firefighters should get training to ensure that they know when and when not to enforce “stay put”. She says one father survived the fire because he ignored advice to stay put.
Labour’s Andrew Slaughter asks May if she accepts that Grenfell Tower would have benefitted from sprinklers. Should they be fitted in all new tower blocks, and retrofitted in old ones?
May says the Lakanal House report did not say sprinklers should be obligatory.
May praises the bravery of the firefighters who attended the fire. But she says it is clear from the report that there are problems with the way the fire service worked that need to addressed.
The emergency services must be able to work together, she says.
She says, as home secretary, she oversaw the JESIP project that was intended to address this. But the report shows that there were still problems.
May says she has been struck by the care that the Grenfell Tower community have shown for each other. She says others have a lot to learn from this.
She says people living in the tower were raising concerns about its safety well before the fire. But those concerns were ignored, she says.
She says this was one of the most shocking aspects of what happened.
She says housing ministers, including Alok Sharma, now international development secretary, worked on a plan to ensure people in social housing have their concerns heard. She was the government has been working on a green paper on this. She urges the government to publish this as soon as possible.
Labour’s Karen Lee asks May if it is acceptable that the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have not been properly rehoused.
May says, in the early stages, the work to find permanent homes for survivors did not go fast enough. She says she accepts that the survivors think the government has not done enough. But every effort will be made to support these families, she says.
She says it is not just housing; mental health support is important too, she says.
Theresa May, the former prime minister who set up the Grenfell Tower inquiry, is speaking now.
She thanks Boris Johnson for the serious tone of his speech, and pays tribute to the dignity and fortitude shown by the survivors in their fight for justice.
He says it cannot have been easy for the survivors to give evidence to the inquiry.
And he thanks Sir Martin Moore-Bick for his report. It is detailed, and shocking, she says.
Corbyn says, although Boris Johnson spoke about building a beautiful memorial to the victims of the fire, the real memorial will be a properly funded fire service and having people living in safe buildings.Corbyn says, although Boris Johnson spoke about building a beautiful memorial to the victims of the fire, the real memorial will be a properly funded fire service and having people living in safe buildings.
Corbyn says the night of 14 June 2017 will never be forgotten. And he pays tribute to the Kensington MP, Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, who had to respond to the fire only days after being elected to parliament.Corbyn says the night of 14 June 2017 will never be forgotten. And he pays tribute to the Kensington MP, Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, who had to respond to the fire only days after being elected to parliament.
Corbyn says government cuts have degraded the fire service. And Boris Johnson was involved when he was mayor of London.Corbyn says government cuts have degraded the fire service. And Boris Johnson was involved when he was mayor of London.
As mayor of London, the now prime minister was at the forefront of the cuts to our fire service. In the eight years that he was mayor, the London fire brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100m, cutting of 27 fire appliances, 552 firefighters, 324 support staff, two fire rescue units, three training appliances and closing ten London fire stations.As mayor of London, the now prime minister was at the forefront of the cuts to our fire service. In the eight years that he was mayor, the London fire brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100m, cutting of 27 fire appliances, 552 firefighters, 324 support staff, two fire rescue units, three training appliances and closing ten London fire stations.
Corbyn says it is “disgraceful” that the “stay put” policy has not been reviewed.Corbyn says it is “disgraceful” that the “stay put” policy has not been reviewed.
He says concerns have been raised about this for years, including by the Fire Brigades Union, but the government has dragged its feet.He says concerns have been raised about this for years, including by the Fire Brigades Union, but the government has dragged its feet.
Corbyn says firefighters were not to blame for the fire.Corbyn says firefighters were not to blame for the fire.
While this phase of the report makes criticism of the London fire brigade we should remember; it was not firefighters that deregulated building safety standards. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored the concerns of tenants. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored a coroner’s report and failed to put sprinklers in high rise blocks and it wasn’t firefighters who put flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower.While this phase of the report makes criticism of the London fire brigade we should remember; it was not firefighters that deregulated building safety standards. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored the concerns of tenants. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored a coroner’s report and failed to put sprinklers in high rise blocks and it wasn’t firefighters who put flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower.
Corbyn says we are not seeing urgent action from government.Corbyn says we are not seeing urgent action from government.
Councils know that, if they spend money removing cladding, they may not get compensation from government, and other services may suffer. Councils know that if they spend money removing cladding they may not get compensation from government, and other services may suffer.
Grenfell Tower would not have happened to wealthy Londoners, he says.Grenfell Tower would not have happened to wealthy Londoners, he says.
Corbyn criticises the government for failing to learn the lessons from previous high-rise fires, particularly the Lakanal House fire and the Shirley Towers fire.Corbyn criticises the government for failing to learn the lessons from previous high-rise fires, particularly the Lakanal House fire and the Shirley Towers fire.
He criticises the fact that some Grenfell Tower survivors are still living in temporary accommodation.He criticises the fact that some Grenfell Tower survivors are still living in temporary accommodation.
Labour’s David Lammy says many people believe what happened at Grenfell Tower amounted to corporate manslaughter.
Corbyn says he hopes ministers will have heard the point Lammy made. There has be be justice, he says. He says it may be for the courts to find out if people installed cladding that they knew to be dangerous. He says the government should not stand in the way of that.
Labour’s Jim Fitzpatrick says many in the media have been targeting the fire brigade. They should be waiting for the big picture to emerge, he says.
Corbyn thanks Fitzpatrick for what he said. He says Fitzpatrick is a former fireman. He says the media should be “cautious” about throwing blame around, because there is another report to come.
Corbyn says he has been on a number of the walks for Grenfell.
He has been on many marches on his life, he says. But he has never been on anything as poignant as this – people walking silently past what is left of the Grenfell Tower.
He says, as the march went passed the fire station, it was clear how much respect people have for the firefighters.
Jeremy Corbyn is speaking now.
He starts by thanking Johnson for the serious tone of his speech.
He says many of the survivors are in the gallery watching. For them, this is another day for horrid memories, he says.
He says he remembers visiting the tower himself afterwards.
This was a tragedy, he says. But it was an avoidable tragedy, he says.
All the survivors deserve a new home in the UK, he says.
Johnson says the government will continue to support the affected families “long after the television cameras are gone”.
He says it will ensure a beautiful and appropriate memorial is built to the families.
The government will also ensure that regulations are tightened up in line with the recommendations.
He says he is personally committed to ensuring that the lessons do not get forgotten.
The survivors had every reason to hide away. But instead they have fought for the truth, and dedicated their lives to ensuring that those who died will always be remembered.
He says the truth will out, justice will be done, and Grenfell Tower, and the people who called it home, will never be forgotten.
Johnson says the report will be “harrowing” for survivors.
But he says he hopes it will show them that Sir Martin Moore-Bick is determined to get at the truth.
Johnson says he has never met any firefighter anything less than totally committed to public safety.
He says he will ensure the lessons of Grenfell Tower are accepted.
Where Moore-Bick says the government should take responsibility for fire safety, the government will legislate.
And he says the government will accept all the report’s recommendations for central government.
Johnson says it is easy for MPs to have 20/20 hindsight.
But they do not have to run into fires like firefighters, he says.
Labour’s Rushanara Ali asks if Johnson regrets the cuts the fire services he implemented as London mayor. And does he accept that the regulators have had their powers reduced by the government.
Johnson says the fire service arrived on the scene within minutes. He says today’s report does not make any criticism about resources.
Johnson says the fire presented an unprecedented challenge for the fire service.
He says Moore-Bick does not question the actions of any of the rank and file firefighters at Grenfell Tower. Moore-Bick said they showed courage and “selfless devotion to duty” as they faced choking smoke and temperature up to 1,000 degrees, he says.
But the report says the firefighters were faced with a situation for which they had not been properly prepared, he says.
He says the report says there was a serious failure of stated policies.
The failure to order an evacuation of the fire after it was clear the fire was out of control probably led to the deaths of people who could have been saved, the report says.
Johnson says fire procedure in blocks of flats is based on the “stay put” policy. In most circumstances this is the best policy. But at Grenfell Tower that was not the case. By 1.30am it was clear compartmentalisation (the theory that a fire will be contained) had failed. By 1.50am it was not too late to evacuate. But senior officers could not conceive of a situation in which compartmentalisation might not work.
By the time an evacuation was ordered, the tower’s single staircase was filled with impenetrable smoke.
Johnson says the report is clear that the cladding was responsible for the fire escalating in the way that it did. It was because of the cladding that a routine fire ended up killing so many people.
He says Moore-Bick is clear that the cladding that was installed contravened building regulations.
Labour’s David Lammy asks what the government is being done to help people who are still living in flats with this cladding.
Johnson says the government has allocated money to remove this cladding. He accepts that progress on getting rid of it has not been as fast as he would like. All buildings owned by central or local government have had this removed, or at least have had the removal work scheduled.
But in the private sector progress is slower, he says.
Matthew Offord, a Conservative, asks what will happen to owners who do not remove the cladding by the June 2020 deadline.
Johnson says the government is planning to name them. The people in those blocks are safe, because of 24 hour patrols. But the government needs to go further, he says. He says the government will take action to force owners to remove this cladding.