+

Grenfell is once again in the dangerous hands of the Conservatives, thanks to Sam Gyimah

He stood in the constituency despite having never contributed anything to our community, and split the vote

I am still in shock at what happened in Kensington in the early hours of Friday morning, when our Labour MP Emma Dent Coad lost her seat to Conservative candidate Felicity Buchan.

I am pessimistic, angry, baffled and bewildered, but these feelings are insignificant to the ones I had on 14 June 2017 when I stood at the base of Grenfell Tower, where at least 72 men, women and children lost their lives, and watched it aflame.

The general election in 2017, days before the fire, had resulted in Kensington electing its first Labour MP, Emma Dent Coad – a real community champion. There is no doubt that ex-Conservative, now Liberal Democrat candidate Sam Gymiah is to blame for the result in Kensington on Friday. He stood in the constituency despite having no previous links to the area and having never contributed anything to our community. In fact, his previous voting record on human rights and social inequality are atrocious – and certainly not in line with the community ethos here.

    +

    END OUR CLADDING SCANDAL

      +

      PRESS STATEMENT ON RESIGNATION OF DANY COTTON, COMMISSIONER OF LONDON FIRE BRIGADE

        The early retirement of Dany Cotton,follows pressure for her resignation, when she so crassly suggested, at the Public Inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire that the fire service “would not do anything different on the night”.

        It is important that the fire service shows that it is an institution capable of learning and her early retirement should usher in a new phase where the incoming commissioner will be able demand that recommendations from report of Phase 1 of the Public Inquiry are actioned with greater speed and political will than they have been so far. Let’s hope that those ministers and organisations who have so far evaded scrutiny, are also held accountable and take responsibility for the cause of the fire in which 72 people needlessly lost their lives. It is time for a new era of safety so that a fire like Grenfell never happens again.