YP Comment: Inferno: Safety must come first. Anger of Tower victims justifiable

He spoke for all – and, to her credit, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom listened respectfully before defending Theresa May’s decision not to meet grief-stricken families when she first visited the disaster scene for herself. Although the Prime Minister did finally face the wrath of victims yesterday at a nearby church, the reputational damage is growing – she was accused of being a ‘coward’ and worse as she left the meeting – and tempers also became frayed outside Kensington Town Hall.

Even though the Queen and Prince William’s impromptu visit to a rest centre brought reassuring comfort, families and survivors can no longer contain their anger as they wait agonisingly for definitive news about loved ones not seen since the inferno broke out early on Tuesday. They want to know why successive governments have been so complacent over public safety, why a coroner’s recommendation in 2013 to fit tower blocks with sprinklers was ignored and why serial warnings that Grenfell Tower was a ‘death trap’ were not acted upon.

From their perspective, they believe – rightly or wrongly – that this disaster has been exacerbated by austerity and that tenants have been treated with unacceptable disdain. Judging by the litany of fundamental failings coming to light, ranging from provision of just one emergency exit to the use of external cladding which did not to conform to the USA’s safety standards, this is a tragedy 40 years in the making following the construction of the 24-storey block in the 1970s.

Of course the immediate priority should be the search and rescue operation, and provision of support for all those left destitute, rather than the scapegoating of politicians from Mrs May to local officials who did not ensure the building, located in London’s wealthiest district, was properly maintained. That said, the Government’s response has been too slow – new measures only emerged after the Prime Minister faced damning accusations of complacency – and Labour intend to stage an emergency Commons debate on Monday week.

By then, it will be too late. For some, this will be the final insult. After the pomp of the State Opening of Parliament next Wednesday, the subsequent debate on the Queen’s Speech – normally one of the more jocular occasions – should be postponed to enable an emergency debate on the Grenfell disaster, and wider ramifications for housing policy, to take place. An avoidable tragedy that would shame poverty-stricken countries, the blackened tower – and simmering anger – will dominate the political landscape for years to come. The sooner Ministers recognise this, and the need to belatedly put safety before cost, the better.