May regrets Grenfell response

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday that her initial response to the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 71 people in London a year ago, was not good enough because it had given the wrong impression that she didn’t care.

The 24-storey social housing block was engulfed by flames in the middle of the night of June 14 in Britain’s deadliest fire on domestic premises since World War II. The tragedy prompted soul-searching about social inequalities and poor safety standards in social housing.

The day after the disaster, May briefly visited the site, thanking firefighters and holding a short meeting with the team in charge of the response.

But her failure to meet any of the survivors or relatives searching for loved ones angered the community.

“It has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough. I include myself in that,” May wrote in a column in the Evening Standard.

May did not say why she had not met any of the people being cared for at a church and homes nearby. – Reuters/ African News Agency (ANA)