The families of the victims of the Grenfell tragedy have criticised the government and Angela Rayner for the decision to demolish the tower.
On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Rayner told a meeting of the families that the west London block, where a fire killed 72 people in 2017, would be dismantled to ground level.
However, the families have accused Rayner of ignoring them during a four-week consultation process, and said “no one supported her decision.”
A statement from the Grenfell United bereaved and survivors family group said: “We’ve said this to every Secretary of State for Housing since the very beginning: consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the Tower.
“Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the Tower.”
The families claimed the deputy PM “refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to” in the four-week consultation.
They continued: “But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no one supported her decision. But she claims it is based on our views.
“Today’s meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision.”
“Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones’ gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable,” they concluded.
A formal announcement from the government on the Grenfell dismantling is expected on Friday, the BBC reports.
Kimia Zabihyan, from Grenfell Next of Kin, which also acts for some of the bereaved families, had attended the meeting with Rayner, and said it was “charged.”
But she told the BBC Rayner appeared to have come along with the “best intentions.”
She said: “The deputy prime minister was very clear that she has taken this decision very seriously, that it is a serious responsibility and that it is a very sensitive decision to make, but it is one that she felt she had to make.”
Rayner made the decision based on the recommendations of engineers, Zabihyan said.
The government has previously been warned the structure may be unsafe due to the extent of the fire damage.
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