For an extra £5,000 during recent refurbishments, it was claimed on the front page of the Times, the 24-story Grenfell Tower in west London could have been clad in fireproof panels. Instead, the contractors went for the cheaper option — a decision which may have contributed to the deaths of at least 30 people in Wednesday’s deadly blaze and probably many more.
Five minutes walk away from the block of council flats, a five bedroom semi-detached family home is for sale. Asking price: £15 million. [...]
The move may go some way to shoring up the political damage, but May’s initially flat-footed response to the tragedy reminded critics of her performance in the election campaign. One senior Conservative campaign official watched with dismay as May imploded in the public glare in the run-up to the election. If the fire, and her response, had taken place before polling day, “she would have lost…and Corbyn would have deserved it,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A backlash against May within her party — already furious over the botched campaign — now appears positively dangerous for her short-term, let alone long-term, future. [...]
Tobias Ellwood, the defense minister, told the BBC’s Question Time that “security concerns” had prevented the prime minister from visiting survivors. Hours later the queen arrived to meet the survivors, making a mockery of the excuse.
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