May: I regret not meeting fire survivors at Grenfell

THERESA May has said she regrets failing to meet Grenfell survivors at the scene as it made her look as if she ‘didn’t care’.

Nearly a year on from the tragedy, the Prime Minister conceded her actions were ‘not good enough’ and said she would ‘always regret’ her response.

She said: ‘Residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power understood their despair.’

Her admission came as she met children who were affected by the tragedy in West London on June 14 last year.

Checks have found more than 500 children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental illnesses because of the blaze. And 2,006 adults are suffering from mental health issues, with 720 starting treatment.

Mrs May was criticised for meeting 999 workers after the fire instead of distraught families who lost loved ones. The image was contrasted with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was shown hugging survivors.

Writing in the Evening Standard yesterday, she offered a personal apology to residents affected by the tragedy.

She admitted contributing, unwittingly, to the feeling among many victims that she and other people in power ‘didn’t care’ about their plight.

‘It has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough,’ she said. ‘I include myself in that.

‘What I did not do on that first visit, was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze. And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didn’t care.’

Mrs May, who cried when she saw the scale of the fire, stressed: ‘That was never the case.’ Her remarks, before the anniversary of the fire on Thursday, come at the start of a week of memorial services, including a vigil and prayers.