Grenfell Tower Death Toll Rises As Theresa May Comes Under Pressure Over London’s Killer Blaze

The death toll from Wednesday’s horrific fire at London’s Grenfell Tower has risen to at least 30, and sadly it is expected to rise to over 100. Grenfell Tower was being refurbished, and it has been widely reported that the multi-story tower block had no sprinkler system and inadequate safety procedures. According to the Guardian, Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters that 30 people are now known to have died and over 70 are still missing. The London Fire Brigade have already confirmed that they have moved from rescue to recovery, which means that they don’t believe anyone will now be found alive.

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire yesterday, and in what has been a terrible week for May, she managed to stumble into another huge row. Prime Minister May’s visit to Grenfell Tower was a brief one. May chatted with firefighters, ambulance staff, and police officers before leaving and without speaking to any of the Grenfell Tower survivors.

As reported by Yahoo News, May has been accused of cowardice for failing to talk to residents of Grenfell Tower, who escaped with their lives but lost everything else. May’s office launched a damage control exercise after May returned to Downing Street, and after a media storm broke over her failure to speak to residents. Ironically, many who escaped from Grenfell Tower are in an emergency shelter in a sports center just 200 yards from the scene of the fire.

As reported in the Conservative Party-supporting Telegraph, many within her own party are furious with Theresa May’s “lack of humanity.” Michael Portillo, a former deputy leader of the Conservative Party, said May lacked humanity by meeting in private with the emergency services while avoiding the residents of Grenfell Tower.

Mrs. May’s action has led to further calls for her resignation, and many doubt that she can survive as prime minister after last week’s electoral humiliation. May’s latest PR disaster comes as her political rival, Jeremy Corbyn, was praised for his actions when visiting the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster. May paid a “private” flying visit and spoke only to the emergency services. Corbyn spent the entire day with the victims, listening to them and providing comfort.

Queen Elizabeth And Prince William Visit Grenfell Tower Fire Survivors

As reported by BBC News, Queen Elizabeth and Prince William paid a visit to Grenfell Tower this morning. The Queen and Prince William chatted to volunteers, residents, and community representatives.

The Grenfell Tower tragedy is being seen as an example of the U.K.’s polarized society. Grenfell Tower housed some of London’s poorest people, but it is within Kensington, London’s richest borough. It’s being claimed that it would have cost around $250,000 to install a sprinkler system in the building, but the safety feature was not installed to save costs. It is also claimed that residents have been complaining about the lack of fire safety in the building for at least eight years.

As reported in the Mirror, there is now real anger over the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and many believe that the anger could easily lead to civil unrest and riots on the streets of London. There is a justice rally this evening where thousands of people are expected to march to Westminster to demand justice for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. There are real fears that the rally could spark into violence.

Grenfell Tower survivors want answers. They want to know why safety recommendations, from similar fires in London, were not implemented, they want to know why the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower was so poorly done. Above all, the residents of Grenfell Tower want to know why their neighbours have died, and they want to know who will be held accountable for the disaster.

[Featured Image by Carl Court/Getty Images]