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Philip Toscano-Heighton/PA Wire

'It was just not good enough': Theresa May apologises for reaction to Grenfell tragedy

Reports emerged that the cladding may have given off gas that contributed to some of the 79 deaths.

UK PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has apologised for the official State response to the Grenfell Tower fire believed to have killed 79 people, saying it was “just not good enough”.

“That was a failure of the state, local and national, to help people when they needed it most. As prime minister I apologise for that failure,” she told the House of Commons today.

Fire toxicity experts meanwhile, have said that insulation boards fitted outside the tower gave off highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas which may have contributed to some of the deaths, reports Sky News.

Criticism

Theresa May had come in for sharp criticism for not visiting the survivors of the blaze on her first visit to the area, when both the opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and Queen Elizabeth did.

There had also been criticism from the survivors about the lack of coordination in the State response.

Last week, angry protesters stormed local authority headquarters demanding justice for victims and survivors.

Residents had long complained about fire safety risks at Grenfell Tower, but said the concerns of the multi-ethnic, largely working-class inhabitants had been brushed off by local authorities.

Britain London Mood Matt Dunham / AP/Press Association Images Matt Dunham / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

Speaking today, May said: “The support on the ground for families in the initial hours was not good enough.

People were left without belongings, without roofs over their heads, without even basic information about what had happened, what they should do, and where they could seek help.

The government has announced that 68 flats had been bought for survivors in an upmarket housing development on Kensington High Street.

A pledge has also been made to rehouse all the survivors either in their local borough or in neighbouring ones.

“The residents of Grenfell Tower have been through some of the most harrowing and traumatic experiences imaginable and it is our duty to support them,” Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said.

Our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently rehoused locally as soon as possible, so that they can begin to rebuild their lives.

Cladding

The new claim about the potential for the cladding to have emitted deadly gas came from fire toxicity experts this evening, speaking to Sky News.

They said that the insulation boards installed during a refurbishment of the tower produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas when they burn, and their positioning on the building means that every flat could have been filled with enough gas to kill those inside.

Establishing if it caused deaths, however, may not be possible due to the condition of the victims.

Grenfell Tower. London, UK. 19/06/2017 Ik Aldama / DPA/PA Images Ik Aldama / DPA/PA Images / DPA/PA Images

At least three people injured in the fire had been treated with an antidote for this deadly gas.

Richard Hull, professor of chemistry and fire science, said: “The outside wall of the building had 150mm of PIR foam (fitted), and once the fire had spread to that every flat would have its own source of PIR foam, which would have produced enough hydrogen cyanide to kill all the people in that flat.”

As of this morning, 10 people were still being treated in hospital following the blaze. Six of them were in critical condition.

With reporting from AFP

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Read: Dublin Airport is looking for better ways to scare off birds

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36 Comments
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    Mute Mattress Dick
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:05 PM

    I’ve a 1970s bottle of power’s topped up with cidona

    284
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    Mute William O'Rourke
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    Aug 4th 2020, 7:29 PM

    @Mattress Dick: is there any house in Ireland with teenagers that doesn’t have that ! No rarity value Mattress Dick

    14
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    Mute Pat Kelly
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:07 PM

    Iv a bottle of that McGregor muck.. so called proper 12… lucky if it’s worth €12

    180
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    Mute Kenneth Hayden
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:08 PM

    @Pat Kelly:
    How much will you give me to take it off your hands.

    116
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    Mute Dermot McL
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    Aug 4th 2020, 2:30 PM

    @Pat Kelly: I hear it packs a punch.

    40
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    Mute Andrew English
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    Aug 4th 2020, 3:30 PM

    @Pat Kelly: would you drink Bushmills? Same product if so.

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    Mute Kevin O' Brien
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    Aug 4th 2020, 5:02 PM

    @Andrew English: it absolutely is not.

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    Mute Michael Carr
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    Aug 4th 2020, 5:51 PM

    @Kevin O’ Brien: absolutely is.

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    Mute james mccarthy
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:13 PM

    How come @irishwhiskeyauctions don’t get any coverage ? They regularly sell bottles for more then that on a monthly basis

    68
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:40 PM

    I used top up my dads powers bottle with water when I was young. He used to mark the bottle.
    Jameson! Now that’s a nice whisky.

    39
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    Mute Joe Toner
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:11 PM

    €12000…. and it probably tastes like hamsters pIss!!

    66
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    Mute Garreth mc mahon
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:59 PM

    @Joe Toner: not gonna ask how you know

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    Mute Mick Scanlan
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    Aug 4th 2020, 2:06 PM

    @Joe Toner: hamsters piss worth a go ?

    38
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    Mute Premier Fitters
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:55 PM

    But whiskey does not age in a glass bottle. It’s aged in casks! So your buying an overpriced probably 10 to 13 year old whiskey in essence. Maybe enjoy your €12k purchase and refill with TK red lemonade lol

    31
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    Mute Martin
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:59 PM

    @Premier Fitters: 16 years aged if you read it

    46
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    Mute Premier Fitters
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    Aug 4th 2020, 2:00 PM

    @Martin: opps lol

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Aug 4th 2020, 4:56 PM

    @Premier Fitters: yes but you can’t get the taste of this whiskey from that time anywhere else as it hasn’t been made for so long

    4
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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:32 PM

    I might be shopping here in future. Cheaper than a supermarket by far!
    https://www.whisky-online.com/auctions/auction/view/0320/126172

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    Mute Bunny Johnson
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    Aug 4th 2020, 1:38 PM

    @Peter Cavey: Do you know how Auctions work? Commission/Delivery /Vat on delivery and commission etc.

    34
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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Aug 4th 2020, 4:06 PM

    @Bunny Johnson: thanks for the very passive aggressive response. It’s appreciated.

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    Mute Glenn Halpin
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    Aug 5th 2020, 7:48 AM

    @Peter Cavey: when hiding behind an alias the anonymity must be soothingly enjoyable for these trolls. Perhaps in some way makes the tears less salty in the attic of mom and dads house.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Aug 4th 2020, 4:44 PM

    Where did our home grown booze industries go?.. oh right Diageo bought them and closed them down.

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    Mute Michael McCambridge
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    Aug 4th 2020, 5:39 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: Wrong. We lost our export market for booze when we left the commonwealth. Access to the British Empire’s market disappeared .
    Scottish whisky filled the gap. Irish Whiskey distillers lost out.

    18
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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Aug 4th 2020, 8:40 PM

    @Michael McCambridge: … and then Diageo bought all the distilleries and breweries.

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    Mute Glenn Halpin
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    Aug 5th 2020, 7:51 AM

    @Michael McCambridge: a whole lot more complicated than that… Involving world war, prohibition, technological developments etc.

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    Mute classic
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    Aug 4th 2020, 6:01 PM

    Jameson is the best

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    Mute Ewan O'Doherty
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    Aug 4th 2020, 4:29 PM

    If I win the Lotto in the meantime I’ll consider bidding

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