Corbyn calls response to London fire 'unacceptable failure'

UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused the government of Prime Minister Theresa May of “unacceptable” negligence for failing to keep a promise to rehouse all London fire victims near their old homes.

Corbyn made the comments on Friday as thousands of people took to the streets to demand answers and justice over the deadly blaze.

UK Communities Secretary Sajid Javid admitted Friday it may be necessary to push some victims out across the capital, despite having promised to keep people local a day earlier. 

“It is unacceptable that at this time of intense stress and trauma for them, the council and the government are not able to guarantee this,” Corbyn told The Independent on Friday. “It is absolutely critical that all the residents of Grenfell Tower are rehoused in the community they love.”

“The entire community has been affected by the fire and are looking to the country to assist in their hour of need. We must not let them down,” the opposition leader added.

“All those made homeless by the fire must be housed in the borough, using all methods possible to make this happen, including, if necessary, requisitioning empty properties.”

Corbyn’s call was echoed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in an open letter to May. He demanded that every resident from Grenfell Tower and other evacuated properties must “be rehoused locally immediately."

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The mayor also said the public could not "afford to wait years for the outcome" of the full public inquiry announced earlier in the week by May, and demanded a timeline on how long it would take to check existing buildings thought to be at risk of similar fires.

Several hundred protesters angry at the government’s handling of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire stormed the Kensington and Chelsea council town hall on Friday afternoon while chanting, “We want justice.”

Other protesters spread throughout London, with around 1,400 descending on Whitehall, shouting, “May must go.” 

A massive fire broke out on June 14 at the Grenfell Tower, a high rise tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington, west London.

The 67 meter (220 ft) tall building contained 120 flats, housing up to 600 people. It was completed in 1974 and renovated in 2016.

Police have confirmed at least 30 are dead, but there are still more than 70 unaccounted for, raising the fears that the final death toll might cross 100. During Friday’s town hall protest, locals chanted "not 17", referencing an early death toll released by police.

Residents staying in temporary accommodation said they felt “abandoned” by the government and expressed deep concern that they did not know where they were going to be rehoused.

The prime minister sought to undo bad publicity from her failure to meet residents on a site trip on Thursday, by finally visiting victims in a London hospital on Friday.

Later, under heavy police guard, she visited St. Clement’s Church, close to the scene of the fire. As she was leaving the church, she was heckled with shouts of “shame on you” and “coward."

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