London Grenfell Tower disaster, never forget

Jeremy Corbyn hugs a woman after the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral in London

Friday, December 15, 2017 – 12:35

Grenfell memorial

Campaigners are relying on Corbyn to expose the truth

PEOPLE affected by the Grenfell Tower fire told Jeremy Corbyn at a memorial service yesterday that they were relying on him to help expose the truth.

The ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral was attended by 1,500 people, including the Labour leader, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, Prime Minister Theresa May, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and members of the royal family.

Mr Corbyn promised mourners that he was “here to try and change things” when he met them after the hour-long service, which marked the passage of six months since the fire killed at least 71 residents (the official count) of the council tower block in North Kensington.

He was met with calls for “justice” and several victims’ relatives hugged him and said they were relying on him to ensure the truth came to light.

Karim Mussilhy, nephew of Hesham Rahman, who died on the 23rd floor, said: “We should never have been here today, our friends, our families should never had died, but we’re all here together, remembering them.

“It feels like it’s been six hours. That day stays embedded, so fresh in the mind – it’s hard to turn it off and turn it away.

“It’s just been awful, like a big abyss.

“But now, all of this anger and frustration and sadness has been turned into determination – determination for justice, to make sure our loved ones are not forgotten, that the people who are responsible are held accountable and changes are made so this never happens again.”

A criminal investigation and public inquiry have been launched to seek the causes of the fire, which is believed to have spread unusually fast because cheap flammable cladding had been fitted to the building’s exterior.

Earlier this week, Mr Mussilhy helped deliver a petition to Downing Street calling for the inquiry to include a panel made up of members of the culturally diverse North Kensington community.