Grenfell Tower

This was a truly horrifying event, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and survivors of this devastating national tragedy.

The fact that something like this could happen in one of the richest countries in the world in the 21st century is beyond belief and, unquestionably, serious questions must be asked. The initial political reaction was far too slow. I fully support the Government's work in setting up the Grenfell Tower Recovery task force in the aftermath of the tragedy to ensure a coordinated response. The task force is chaired by the Prime Minister and includes representation from a number of government departments. The Government is also working with the local authority to ensure that people who lost their homes in the disaster are rehoused in the local area as well as with housing associations, fire and rescue services, and fire safety experts to ensure that all similar buildings are checked. A new £5 million Grenfell Tower Residents' Discretionary Fund has also been made immediately available to help those who had to flee their homes and I understand that the fund will be kept under review.

It is clear to me that that this tragedy raises a series of very important questions about social housing, fire safety regulations, Kensington and Chelsea Council and local authority civil contingency planning. Furthermore, it cast a light on the very real problems presented by housing shortages in many parts of the country – which have led to dangerous overcrowding.

It’s for these reasons that I fully support the Prime Minister’s decision to order a full, judge-led public inquiry to get the answers we need about how this happened, and urgently consider the lessons, failures, and policy implications.

Rest assured, I will continue to work with parliamentary colleagues across all parties to find the answers we need. One thing is clear: we must never allow something like this to happen again. The events at Grenfell Tower were a terrible day for all of Britain, and we must work tirelessly now to learn the lessons of what happened.