Grenfell Tower to be knocked down

The deputy Prime Minister has announced Grenfell Tower will be demolished

Transcript

00:00So, we understand the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, told a meeting on Wednesday

00:07that Grenfell Tower will be demolished. This is a big development in a long-running story

00:14after the fire nearly eight years ago. We expect a more formal announcement to be made

00:20on Friday. We have heard some reaction so far. A survivor of the Grenfell Tower blaze

00:27said demolishing the building will put the tragedy out of sight and out of mind. This

00:33came from Emma O'Connor, who lived on the 20th floor of the West London Tower block,

00:41and attended a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, as I said, on Wednesday evening,

00:47where she told survivors and bereaved families the block is to be demolished.

00:53Ms Rayner made this decision after a number of health and safety concerns were made about the

01:00tower, mainly due to its structural integrity. Ms O'Connor added that she understood the tower

01:08was unsafe, but said if it's out of sight it will definitely be out of mind to those who just are

01:15responsible for the tragic deaths. The Deputy Prime Minister's announcement is understood

01:22to have been met with gasps from a shocked room of mostly bereaved people who felt

01:30there had not been enough consultation on the issue. Grenfell United, which represents some

01:37bereaved and survivors, said it appeared from the room that no one supported her decision.