Khan says anger in wake of tragic blaze follows ‘years of neglect’

Anger in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire comes after “years of neglect” by council and government, London’s mayor said, adding that stories of grief and heroism from the blaze will stay with him forever.

Sadiq Khan spent more than two hours at St Clement’s Church in west London yesterday, as a service remembered victims of the disaster.

He said it was “humbling” to attend before meeting with many members of the congregation as well as other people who turned up to speak to him. People leave tributes to the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy; an emergency services worker on the roof; a sign asks people not to take pictures of the building 0 Sadiq Khan has vowed to be champion of the people

Vowing to be the “champion of the people”, he said lessons must be learned from the tragedy. Speaking outside after the service, which he attended with his wife Saadiya, he said people are “angry not simply at the poor response in the days afterwards from the council and the government, but the years of neglect from the council and successive governments”.

Senior civil servants have been called in to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy amid criticism of the way the crisis has been handled by Kensington and Chelsea council.

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