The leader of Britain’s main opposition party added his voice Sunday to a mounting chorus of criticism over the response by local and national authorities to London’s devastating Grenfell Tower fire disaster.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn told ITV’s “Peston on Sunday” that the local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, was failing effectively to help people made homeless by the fire despite being the wealthiest local authority in the country.
“Four hundred or so people — still most of them have not got somewhere decent or safe or secure to stay,” he said. “Somehow or other it seems to be beyond the wit of the public services to deal with the crisis facing a relatively small number of people in a country of 65 million.”
Corbyn’s comments come a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May said that support for families in the initial aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire “was not good enough.”
The government on Saturday promised a public inquiry and announced a fund of 5 million pounds ($6.4 million) to help those affected by the blaze.
But angry residents, many of whom lost everything they had as the fire tore through the 24-story apartment building in the early hours of Wednesday, say not enough is being done.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said in a statement Friday that all residents of Grenfell Tower who had asked for help had been housed in hotels and that it was looking for interim accommodation for those people and others living nearby who could not return home.
“We want to rehouse people in a good home as quickly as we can. The Council is committed to looking after the immediate and longer-term housing needs of all those affected by the fire,” it said.
According to a police statement Saturday, 30 people have been confirmed dead, while another 28 remain missing and are presumed dead. Sixteen bodies have been recovered, police said. Meanwhile, 19 people remained in hospital as of Saturday, of whom 10 were receiving critical care.
Church service
Scores of people attended a service Sunday morning at the nearby Notting Hill Methodist Church, at which tribute was paid to those impacted by the fire.
A message from the church’s president, Roger Walton, read out to the congregation, said his prayers were with local people, adding: “You are a symbol of hope in the dark days.”
Outside, many people lit candles and added flowers to banks of bouquets piled against the church walls. Posters appealing for help to find missing loved ones remain pinned to a green door, the smiling faces of those pictured standing in contrast to the somber mood.
The government has said the country will observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. Monday in remembrance of the victims.
MP: Survivors’ treatment ‘appalling’
Another Labour politician, David Lammy, has called for corporate manslaughter charges amid claims that flammable material was used to clad the building during a recent renovation. No sprinkler system was installed.
Lammy, who represents Tottenham in north London in Parliament, tweeted Sunday that he had met with Grenfell Tower residents on Saturday night and that their treatment by the authorities had been “absolutely appalling.”
“Lack of support and relief for Grenfell Tower survivors is an outrage & a scandal. I was there last night — no authorities, just volunteers,” he said. “Residents feel like they were treated as second-class citizens because they are poor & their warnings were ignored.”
Lammy, who lost a friend in the fire — talented young artist Khadija Saye — also highlighted people’s concerns that evidence concerning the tower’s recent refurbishment might be destroyed or lost before it can be seized by police.
May promises help, justice
May, who met Saturday at 10 Downing Street with some residents, said in a statement afterward that members of the community faced “huge frustrations” as they sought information from authorities about the fatal blaze in the capital’s North Kensington area.
The Prime Minister said her government would do “whatever it takes to help those affected, get justice and keep our people safe” and that the disaster was an “unimaginable tragedy for the community, and for our country.”
May also said neighborhood councils had been ordered to complete safety checks on high-rise buildings in their area as a matter of urgency.
She had faced criticism since visiting and leaving the disaster scene Thursday without talking to any of those who had lost their homes in the blaze.
Police have opened a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the blaze. They examined the apartment where the fire started and determined “there is nothing to suggest the fire was started deliberately.” A team of senior detectives is investigating.