MPs have been slammed for streaming out of the House of Commons chamber before a debate on the Grenfell tragedy.
Parliamentary footage showed the mass exodus following prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
That was despite them knowing that Keir Starmer would be making a statement following the publication of Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report into the tragedy, in which 72 people were killed following a fire in the west London tower block.
Karim Mussilhy, vice chair of Grenfell United, which represents some of the victims’ families, told Newsnight: “You just see a flurry of bodies in parliament run, heading out, just leaving.
“That room was more than half empty. This is the culture we’re talking about. How are we supposed to get justice when they don’t even care?”
‘How are we supposed to get justice when they just don’t care?’
— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) September 4, 2024
Vice Chair of Grenfell United Karim Mussilhy on the MPs who left the House of Commons chamber as the PM was about to make his statement on the Grenfell inquiry report #Newsnightpic.twitter.com/dP2WWunDDb
ITV political editor Robert Peston said he was “shocked” by the scenes.
He said: “I was genuinely a bit upset when I looked at the chamber. Vast numbers of MPs simply left after prime minister’s questions.
“I thought, for this statement, it would be bursting at the seams with MPs. It wasn’t. There were lots and lots of empty seats there, and I was quite shocked by that, actually.
“Grenfell, I think for anybody who’s not a child, was one of the defining moments in this country’s history of the last 30 years, and I just assumed every MP would want to be in the chamber to hear it and they weren’t, they disappeared.”
'There were lots of empty seats....I was really quite shocked'@Peston says he was surprised by how many MPs left the Commons before the prime minister's statement on the Grenfell Inquiry report. pic.twitter.com/WtX5Ol0GDS
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 4, 2024
Those who left the debating chamber missed the prime minister apologise on behalf of the British state for the multitude of failures which led to the Grenfell tragedy.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report found that the 72 deaths were “all avoidable” and that successive governments, officials and construction industry bosses failed to act on warnings about flammable cladding and insulation over three decades.
“Those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants,” Sir Martin said.
