‘We must all acknowledge the part we played’: Ex-PM Theresa May leads political apologies for Grenfell

Baroness Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire, has warned that all those in authority must accept their responsibility for the tragedy.

She added her voice to those calling for justice as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer apologised on behalf of the state for the events that led to the deaths of 54 adults and 18 children in 2017.

“Government, national and local, regulators and the corporate industry must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy,” she said.

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Rishi Sunak added that the report was “a damning indictment” of 30 years of failure.

He added: “The state let you down and that must never happen again.”

With thousands of buildings still covered in the lethal cladding responsible for the rapid spread of the blaze, politicians admitted remedial work needs to be completed more urgently.

Sir Keir acknowledged to the victims' families: “I want to say you have been let down so badly before, during and after this tragedy.”

Lord David Cameron, whose own government was also found to have ignored years of warnings over the cladding, decided not to make a statement.

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The official report criticised the “muddled response” by local and central government to the tragedy at the time, and May has previously admitted that her response at the time was “not good enough” and has apologised.

In a statement on Wednesday, she said: "I would like to thank [inquiry chair] Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his team for the dedication and tenacity they have shown in getting to the truth and for this forensic and powerful final report.

“I know that, while necessary, the inquiry process can be immensely distressing for all those involved. I would like to pay tribute to the bereaved families and the survivors for the dignity they have shown in the face of a tragedy so extreme, it is beyond our imagining. “

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She continued: “A new government is now responsible for delivering the inquiry’s final recommendations. I hope they will treat this as a priority. I am acutely conscious that while today marks an important milestone, for the families the path to justice has not yet reached its end. More than seven years on, the Grenfell community still needs our support. Perhaps most importantly of all, they need us not to forget. Only then can we deliver the change that Sir Martin has rightly and clearly called for."

Sir Keir, who visited the tower recently to lay flowers, said he intends to speed up the process of removing unsafe cladding from buildings, as it is currently moving "far too slow". He has said that he intends to write to companies that have not carried out remedial work on dangerous buildings and warned that they can lose out on government contracts.

Mother of the House, Diane Abbott, asked why the burned out building is still in place after seven years and asked that victims’ families do not “have to wait another seven years for justice to be done on those responsible.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, whose party was in coalition government when warnings about claddings were made, said: “The report today shames our society. On behalf of my party, I apologise for our role in it.”