John McDonnell: Grenfell victims 'murdered by political decisions'

Political reporter(wp):

Labour's John McDonnell has claimed victims of the Grenfell Tower fire were "murdered" by "political decisions".

Speaking at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, the shadow chancellor blamed the decision to "view housing as only for financial speculation".

At least 79 people are feared to have died in the fire in west London, which began in the early hours of 14 June.

Housing minister Alok Sharma said it was "disappointing" that people wanted to make it "a party political issue".

It is thought the building's recently-installed cladding may have helped the fire to spread.

The type of insulation material used on the tower is also being investigated, along with suggestions that the way the insulation and cladding was installed could have created a chimney effect.

Cladding from as many as 600 tower blocks across England is now being tested for safety.

So far, cladding on 60 high-rise buildings in 25 areas has failed, and none has passed.

One of the blocks which failed was Elizabeth House in Wembley - to the "surprise" of the building's management company.

Noel Brosnan, a company director at Octavia Housing, said: "This building was constructed in 2013 and at that time we got the assurances that it met and complied with building regulations and it has been signed off by the local authority.

"So of course we were quite surprised and dismayed to hear that this building did not meet building regulations."

• More high-rises fail fire safety tests
• Where have cladding fire tests failed?
• Holyrood to review tower block safety
• Visual guide to the Grenfell Tower fire

The prime minister ordered a public inquiry on 15 June and is due to chair a meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Taskforce on Monday.

Insulation and cladding taken from Grenfell Tower failed preliminary safety testslast week.

Mr McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, was speaking in a panel debate at Glastonbury's Left Field event, chaired by Guardian journalist John Harris.

He said: "Is democracy working? It didn't work if you were a family living on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower.

"Those families, those individuals - 79 so far and there will be more - were murdered by political decisions that were taken over recent decades.

"The decision not to build homes and to view housing as only for financial speculation rather than for meeting a basic human need made by politicians over decades murdered those families.

"The decision to close fire stations and to cut 10,000 fire fighters and then to freeze their pay for over a decade contributed to those deaths inevitably, and they were political decisions."

A source close to Mr McDonnell confirmed the quotes were accurate.

Jim Fitzpatrick, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on fire safety, said his Labour colleague's comments were inappropriate.

"Jumping to conclusions and pointing a finger of blame at this point, I think, is somewhat premature," he added.

Mr Sharma, who replaced Gavin Barwell as the housing minister following the general election, said the cladding in question had been installed over a wide time period and under councils controlled by different political parties.

Pressed on a timescale to complete the testing, he said the government was working "round the clock" to get the work done.

There is the capacity carry out 100 tests a day, he said, but samples need to be sent in as quickly as possible.

He said: "Some councils are acting very quickly and we want all of them to be acting urgently on this."

Mr Sharma also said the government would "offer support" to councils, although he wouldn't put an exact figure on financial aid.

Over the weekend, Camden Council evacuated 650 people from four tower blocks in Swiss Cottage area, after London Fire Brigade raised concerns about cladding, gas pipe insulation, and fire doors.

The four blocks were renovated by Rydon between 2006 and 2009 - the same company which oversaw the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower from 2015 to 2016.

Five high-rise buildings in Sunderland had cladding removed as a precautionary measure to "reassure residents".

Buildings have been also declared unsafe in Doncaster, Norwich, Stockton-on-Tees, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

In Scotland, Holyrood is going to hold its own investigation into the safety of tower blocks, expanding an ongoing inquiry into housing and building regulations.

The Scottish Government has already said that no council or housing association high-rise block has cladding of the type believed to have been used in Grenfell Tower.

Boy, 16, in court over rape of girl, 8, in Manchester park

Crime reporter(wp):

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the rape of an eight-year-old girl in a park.

Police were called to Nuthurst Park in Moston, Manchester, just before 18:55 BST on Saturday.

Greater Manchester Police said officers responded to reports of a girl being raped. A boy was arrested in a nearby shop.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 10 July.

Conservatives agree pact with DUP to support May government

Pic:The two sides met in the Cabinet room

Political reporter(wp):

An agreement has been reached which will see the Democratic Unionist Party back Theresa May's minority government.

The deal, which comes two weeks after the election resulted in a hung Parliament, will see the 10 DUP MPs back the Tories in key Commons votes.

There will be £1bn extra for Northern Ireland over the next two years.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the "wide-ranging" pact was "good for Northern Ireland and the UK" but one critic said it was a "straight bung".

The agreement has prompted calls for matching public investment in Wales and Scotland.

A three page document outlining the terms of the agreement has been published in full. The DUP said it would apply for the lifetime of the Parliament, scheduled to last five years, but would also be reviewed at the end of the current session in two years time.

There will be £1.5bn in funding - consisting of £1bn of new money and £500m of previously announced funds - to be spent over the next two years on infrastructure, health and education in Northern Ireland, money Mrs Foster said was needed to address the challenges from Northern Ireland's "unique history".

As part of the deal, the military covenant will be implemented in full in Northern Ireland, meaning more focus on the treatment of military veterans, while the triple lock guarantee of at least a 2.5% rise in the state pension each year, and winter fuel payments, will be maintained throughout the UK.

Other key points of the agreement include:

• The DUP will support the Tories on all Brexit and security legislation
• The UK's 2% Nato defence spending target will continue to be met
• Cash support for farmers will remain at current levels until the next election
• Both parties to adhere to commitments in Good Friday Agreement
• No Irish border poll without "consent of the people"

Mrs May shook hands with DUP leader Arlene Foster as she and other senior party figures arrived at Downing Street on Monday to finalise the pact. The two leaders then watched as Conservative chief whip Gavin Williamson and his DUP counterpart Jeffrey Donaldson signed the documents in No 10.

Speaking outside Downing Street, Mrs Foster said the agreement would bring stability to the UK government as it embarked on the Brexit process,

"This agreement will operate to deliver a stable government in the United Kingdom's national interest at this vital time," she said.

Welcoming the additional funding for Northern Ireland, she said it would benefit all communities. "Following our discussions the Conservative Party has recognised the case for higher funding in Northern Ireland, given our unique history and indeed circumstances over recent decades."

The UK prime minister said the pact was a "very good one" for the UK as a whole.

"We share many values in terms of wanting to see prosperity across the UK, the value of the union, the important bond between the different parts of the UK," Mrs May said. "We very much want to see that protected and enhanced

First Secretary of State Damian Green, a close ally of Mrs May's, said he hoped the extra money would help reviving devolved government in Northern Ireland.

"The money that is attached to this agreement is actually less than the money attached to the original Stormont agreement in 2014," he told the BBC. "We know Northern Ireland has particular needs, because of its history and difficulties.

"There are parts of the Northern Ireland infrastructure that needs particular help and that has been recognised on a continuing basis."

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said most of the money being allocated to Northern Ireland would go to specific projects rather than general spending, meaning it would not necessarily impact on the Barnett formula which determines overall expenditure across the nations of the UK.

She said DUP sources pointed to the creation of a "coordination committee", suggesting this would give them a direct line in to government discussions and that this may prove particularly influential over the Brexit negotiations.

'Confidence and supply'

Under the so-called "confidence and supply" arrangement, the DUP will line up behind the government in key votes, such as on the Queen's Speech and Budgets, which would threaten the government's survival if they were lost.

They will also back Theresa May on Brexit and security matters, which are likely to dominate most of the current Parliament.

On other legislation, the DUP's support is not necessarily guaranteed - although the Northern Ireland party is expected to back the majority of the government's programme for the next two years after many of its more controversial policies were dropped.

Theresa May fell nine seats short of an overall majority after the snap election, meaning she is reliant on other parties to pass legislation, including relating to the terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The support of the DUP will give her an effective working majority of 13, given that Sinn Fein do not take up their seven seats and Speaker John Bercow and his three deputies - two of whom are Labour MPs - do not take part in votes.

Several senior Tories had advised her to govern without any formal agreement with the DUP, arguing the unionist party would not be prepared to bring Mrs May down and run the risk of triggering a fresh election given their longstanding hostility to Jeremy Corbyn and other senior Labour figures.

Former PM Sir John Major warned that a formal association with the DUP could undermine attempts to restore power-sharing government in Northern Ireland while some MPs said the DUP's socially conservative stance on issues such as gay marriage and abortion could damage the party in the longer term.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones suggested Mrs May was "throwing money at Northern Ireland while ignoring the rest of the UK".

"Today's deal represents a straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office," the Labour politician said.

Finsbury Park attack suspect named as Darren Osborne

Crime reporter(wp/bbc):

The man arrested on suspicion of carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack is 47-year-old Darren Osborne from Cardiff, the BBC understands.

He was held after a van hit Muslims who had been attending evening prayers at a north London mosque.

They had been helping a man who had collapsed. He later died but it is not clear if it was because of the attack.

Mr Osborne was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and later further arrested over alleged terror offences.

Police are carrying out searches at an address in the Cardiff area.

Security Minister Ben Wallace said the suspect was not known to the security services, and was believed to have acted alone.

The BBC understands Mr Osborne grew up in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and has four children.

The Metropolitan Police said he was being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder.

The attack took place shortly after midnight close to Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, which is also a community centre.

Several of the injured are believed to be seriously hurt.

London Ambulance Service said nine people were taken to hospital and a number of others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the incident was "quite clearly an attack on Muslims", and the community would now see more police, including armed officers, in the area, "particularly around religious establishments"

It is the fourth terror attack in the UK in three months, after incidents in Westminster, Manchester and on London Bridge.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack is "every bit as sickening" as the others.

"It was an attack that once again targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives - this time British Muslims as they left a mosque having broken their fast and prayed together at this sacred time of year," she said.

After speaking outside Downing Street, the prime minister visited Finsbury Park Mosque, which is also close to the scene of the incident, where she held talks with faith leaders.

Labour leader and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn also visited the area, telling the BBC that "an attack on a mosque, an attack on a synagogue, an attack on a church is actually an attack on all of us".

Locals say this is a proudly multicultural area, where the biggest rivalry is whether you support Arsenal or their north London rivals, Tottenham.

Now the mood here is one of shock, as residents stand by the police cordon seeing the aftermath of yet another attack in London.

Mother-of-four Nicola Senior, 43, is walking back from taking her children to school when she stops to take in the scene.

She said: "I'm frightened. Is there going to be retaliation?

"I am fearful for my kids. Can we go to the park? Can we go to the church? It feels like this is happening all the time."

The driver of the van was detained by bystanders before police arrived.

People at the scene said he had told them he wanted to kill Muslims.

The imam of Muslim Welfare House said a passing police van was flagged down.

Mohammed Mahmoud told reporters: "We told them the situation - there's a man, he's restrained, he mowed down a group of people with his van and there is a mob attempting to hurt him and if you don't take him then, God forbid, he might be seriously hurt.

"We pushed people away from him until he was safely taken by police."

Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of Muslim Welfare House, said the suspect had told those holding him "you deserve it" and was also saying "I did my bit".

This incident risks playing right into the hands of those planning further attacks on vulnerable citizens in the UK.

Online followers of the so-called Islamic State have been quick to seize on the Finsbury Park attack as proof of what they see as widespread hostility towards Muslims who live in the West. Inevitably, it will be used by recruiters and propagandists to incite further attacks - extremism breeds extremism.

The one thing that far right anti-Muslim extremists and violent jihadists have in common is the belief that peaceful coexistence between Muslim and non-Muslim is impossible.

The unified prayers and solidarity across communities that followed recent terror attacks are anathema to them. Extremists of both types want instead to divide society and will keep trying to bring this about by criminal acts of provocation such as this.

One dead and 10 injured after lone attacker ploughs into crowd of Muslims

Crime reporter(wp/es):

One man died and ten others were injured after a van driver screaming “I want to kill all Muslims” ploughed into worshippers in a terror attack near to Finsbury Park mosque.

Witnesses told how the suspect shouted “kill me, kill me” and blew kisses from the back of a police van after he was pinned to the ground and arrested following the attack in the early hours of Monday.

The 48-year-old suspect was tackled to the floor and detained by onlookers after the vehicle veered into a crowd of worshippers who had just finished prayers at the mosque in Seven Sisters Road.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed the attack on worshippers was being treated as terrorism. Theresa May said that an early assessment by police suggested the attacker "acted alone".

In an statement outside Scotland Yard on Monday morning, Mr Basu said the attack unfolded as a man was receiving first aid from the public and that he died at the scene.

Eight other people were taken to hospital, at least two of them with “very serious injuries”, Mr Basu said.

He said: "The attack unfolded whilst a man was receiving first aid from the public at the scene; sadly, he has died.

"Any causative link between his death and the attack will form part of our investigation.

"It is too early to state if his death was as a result of the attack."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was visibly distraught at he visited the scene of the terror attack in his own constituency.

The attacker struck at 12.15am as the area was busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the mosque.

Video footage showed the suspect being pinned to the ground by brave members of the public before he was arrested by police.

Witnesses said the suspect was protected by an imam after some of the bystanders began beating him on the ground.

Mr Basu said the inside of the van has been investigated and that nothing was found that posed a further risk to public safety. Officers believe the attacker acted alone.

He added that no-one suffered stab injuries during the attack amid early reports a knifeman was spotted in the van.

Witness Sami Ali told the WT: “There was an elderly woman and a guy trapped under the car, everyone was just trying to help them.

"They grabbed the man and held him on the ground - he was shouting 'kill me kill me' but they just held him down.”

Another man, who did not wish to be named, was leaving the mosque when he saw the attack happen.

He said: "I heard screaming and shouting. There was a lot of bodies on the ground, I saw a lot of people being flattened.”

A witness, who wanted to be identified as Abdulrahman, which is not his real name, said he managed to get the driver of the van.

"He wanted to run away and was saying: 'I want to kill Muslims.'

"So he came back to the main road and I managed to get him to the ground and me and some other guys managed to hold him until the police arrived, for about 20 minutes I think, until the police arrived."

Abdulrahman claimed the driver said: 'Kill me', as he was being held.

Mr Basu praised the “restraint” of the “incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry” members of the public who tackled the man.

He added: “It seems to me at the time he was very quickly and calmly given over to the police and put into custody.

“As I’ve said I think that restraint was commendable by members of the community who must have been incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry.

“I’d like to thank them, what it proves to me is that Londoners will act together to protect themselves, but they will do so in a way that doesn’t feed into terrorists and extremists hands.”

The attack is the second terrorist incident to hit the capital’s streets in just over two weeks, with eight people killed in the London Bridge atrocity on June 3.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News: "All of these are attacks on out shared values of freedom, of tolerance and of respect. Terrorism is terrorism, whether someone is inspired by an Islamist narrative or other forms of 'inspiration'.

"We're a great city, we can't allow these terrorists who fuel division to change our lives."

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will hold a Cobra committee emergency meeting later on Monday.

Mr Basu added: “This has been an incredibly challenging time for London and the emergency services are stretched, Nevertheless we will all do absolutely everything we can with our partners to protect Londoners and our city.

“Now is the time once again for Londoners to stand together to face those who seek to divide us."

Other videos posted online of the aftermath of Monday's attack showed a scene of chaos as people tried to help the injured.

One man could been seen giving CPR to a victim in the street, while another man's head injury was treated with a makeshift dressing.

The Muslim Council of Britain has condemned the incident as 'the most violent manifestation' yet of Islamophobia.

Extra security is being stationed at mosques across the capital.

Grenfell Tower death toll rises to 79 as search for victims continues

Staff reporter(wp/es):
At least 79 people are now presumed dead following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, police said as the search to recover victims continues.

In the latest update on Monday morning, Met Commander Stuart Cundy said officers have now established that the figure of those presumed dead or missing has risen.

All 24 floors of the tower block have now been searched after the recovery operation was paused on Friday over fears for emergency workers’ safety in the building.

Mr Cundy said five people had been formally identified, and that the rest were "sadly" missing presumed dead.

He told reporters the "awful reality" was that it might not be possible to identify all the victims. Some families have lost more than one member, he added.

The announcement came ahead of a minute's silence held at 11am across all Government buildings to remember the people who lost their lives and all those affected by the fire in north Kensington last week.

Speaking outside Scotland Yard, Mr Cundy said: “As of this morning, I am afraid to say that there are now 79 people that we believe are either dead or missing, and I sadly have to presume are dead."

Mr Cundy said the death toll may still change, but not as significantly as it has in recent days.

Five people who had been reported missing after the disaster have been found safe and well, he added.

Fighting back tears, he said it had been "incredibly emotional" working at the scene, adding: "On Saturday I went in myself and went to the top floor. It is incredibly hard to describe the devastation in some parts of that building."

He said: "I have investigated major crime for most of my service and I have seen some terrible things. But I don't think anything prepared me for what I was going to see when I was in there.

"It's hard to describe my feelings, because I cannot imagine, and I would not want to put myself in the position of those families who have lost their loved ones.

"But being with colleagues from the London Fire Brigade when I was in there, colleagues from the London Ambulance Service and other police officers, I think it's fair to say it is incredibly emotional working in there.

"But we will do it with our utmost professionalism and we will do everything we can as quickly as we can to locate everybody who is in there."

Grenfell Tower residents' 'angry and passionate' meeting with Theresa May at 10 Downing Street

Pic:The group outside Number 10 on Saturday.
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Grenfell Tower victims held “passionate and angry” talks with Theresa May in an “unprecedented” meeting at Downing Street just days after a fire ravaged 120 homes and killed as many as 58 people.

Sixteen "very ordinary people" voiced their concerns at Number 10 and left Saturday’s meeting finally feeling like they were listened to, the Bishop of Kensington, Dr Graham Tomlin said.

The Bishop added that is hopeful the two-and-a-half hour long meeting, attended by victims, residents, community leaders and volunteers, was the starting point for a process of "lasting change".

He said: "I'm positive because I think it was a real chance for local residents, people affected by this tragedy, to voice their concerns directly to the Prime Minister so that she could hear them.

"That's why I'm positive about it, because I think in the past local residents here have not always been listened to."

He added that feeling of being ignored is a source of much "deep frustration", and told how people have been left feeling "that decisions are taken about their lives and their homes that they are not party to".

He described the residents as "brilliant" in how they raised and explained their concerns to Mrs May.

Dr Tomlin said: "I thought the way they expressed themselves with a mixture of passion and reason was fantastic, and I hope it's the beginning of a process, not the end of a process, the beginning of a process of real listening between Government, RBKC (the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council), local residents, that will bring about lasting change."

Following the meeting, Mrs May released a strongly-worded statement in which she said on-the-ground support for families in the immediate aftermath of the blaze "was not good enough".

She said she has ordered daily progress reports on housing for those affected, and vowed the public inquiry into the disaster will be "open and transparent".

Dr Tomlin said the residents had gone from living normal lives before the tragedy to bringing their frustrations to the very top of Government.

He said: "Clearly it's quite unprecedented for 16 very ordinary people, who this time last week were walking their dogs or talking to each other in the streets around here and north Kensington, actually to be in 10 Downing Street talking face-to-face with the Prime Minister. I think it was a good thing to do."

Asked if there were angry exchanges, he said: "We tried to hold it well as a meeting. There was passion, there was anger, but there was good, hard, reasoned argument used by the residents."

Questioned as to whether the anger followed Mrs May's initial visit to the west London site during which she did not meet residents, he said: "We didn't talk directly about that."

Dr Tomlin said he believed residents left the meeting feeling "reassured that they were listened to", but added: "Time will tell as to whether it makes a difference.

"We wait to see what action will come from it, but they were reassured that they were listened to.”

The Bishop’s revelations came as Labour MP David Lammy called on the Prime Minister and Metropolitan Police to immediately seize all relevant Grenfell Tower documents.

Mr Lammy, who lost friend Khadija Saye in the blaze, said that after speaking to residents, suspicion of a cover-up is rising and Mrs May and investigators must ensure all pertinent documents are protected.

The Tottenham MP said: "Within the community, trust in the authorities is falling through the floor and a suspicion of a cover-up is rising.

"The Prime Minister needs to act immediately to ensure that all evidence is protected so that everyone culpable for what happened at Grenfell Tower is held to account and feels the full force of the law.

"We need urgent action now to make sure that all records and documents relating to the refurbishment and management of Grenfell Tower are protected."

Mr Lammy added that justice can only done if all records - emails, minutes of meetings, correspondence with contractors, safety assessments, specifications and reports - are preserved.

He said: "When the truth comes out about this tragedy we may find that there is blood on the hands of a number of organisations.

"At this stage, it is my grave concern that the families of Grenfell Tower will not get justice if documents are being quietly destroyed and shredded and emails are being deleted."

The police have powers to seize all documents, but Section 35 of the Public Inquiry Act, which makes the destruction of any documents a criminal offence, does not apply until a chairman is appointed and the terms of reference set.

On Saturday, police confirmed 58 people were missing, presumed dead, following the blaze after police revealed some of the victims “may never be identified”.