London fire latest news LIVE: May visits Grenfell tower, death toll rises to 17 - updates
The London fire has left 17 dead and 78 injured, with the death toll expected to rise.
Grenfell Tower is too unsafe to conduct a full search, London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton has said. Firefighters have done a “brief search” of all 25 floors.
Theresa May has visited Grenfell Tower where she spoke to firefighters.
11.47am: Councillor Robert Atkinson, who represents Notting Dale Ward, has said that the Grenfell tower fire was “obviously something to do with the cladding”. Mr Atkinson said: "The council is urging everybody not to leap to conclusions, but when you look at the way that the fire spread so quickly - you don't have to be an engineer to ask questions about how it can envelop the whole building and wrap around the whole building - it's obviously something to do with the cladding. “This is a national disaster - it has implications way beyond Kensington and Chelsea and internationally. We need an inquiry as quickly as possible. He claimed that Kensington and Chelsea “is wealthy enough that everyone should be in a hotel”, adding: “I don't want anyone on a camp bed in a sports centre tonight.” 11.05am: The death toll has now risen to 17, Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy has announced. Mr Cundy said that the number is set to increase, and that the search and rescue operation will take a long time. London Fire Comissioner Dany Cotton said that it could take weeks, with the upper floors expected to be especially challenging. Sniffer dogs will be sent in to search for bodies, and internal shoring will be built to make the tower safe. Mr Cundy said there was nothing to suggest that terror had anything to do with the fire. He added: "There are still a number of people who are receiving treatment in hospital. "There are 37 people receiving treatment, of which 17 are still in critical care. "Like we explained yesterday, our absolute priority for all of us is about identifying and locating those people that are still missing."
10.50am: Theresa May has visited Grenfell Tower where she spoke with London Fire Comissioner Dany Cotton and members of the fire service. The Prime Minister reportedly left the area without talking to any residents. Mrs May has now returned to Downing Street. Jeremy Corbyn is scheduled to visit the scene of the fire at 11am. 10.00am: The Queen has paid tribute to the victims of the London fire, and has commended the bravery of emergency workers. In a statement she said: “My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital. “Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others. “It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event.” Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have announced that they have made a donation to the London Evening Standard’s Dispossessed Fund to help those affected by the fire.
London fire: Grenfell aftermath latest images Thu, June 15, 2017 At least twelve people have been confirmed dead and dozens missing, after the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road was engulfed in flames in the early hours of June 14. The number of fatalities are expected to rise Play slideshow PA 1 of 45 Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building
GETTY Theresa May has visited Grenfell Tower
9.20am: David Lammy has labelled the Grenfell Tower tragedy “corporate manslaughter”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Labour MP said: “This is the richest borough in our country treating its citizens in this way and we should call it what it is. It is corporate manslaughter. That’s what it is. And there should be arrests made, frankly. It is an outrage. “Many of us across the country have been caught up in an election knocking on housing estate doors, travelling up to the top floors of tower blocks, and we know as politicians that the conditions in this country are unacceptable. “We built buildings in the 70s. Those 70s buildings, many of them should be demolished. They have not got easy fire escapes. They have got no sprinklers. It is totally, totally unacceptable in Britain that this is allowed to happen and that people lose their lives in this way. People should be held to account.” Mr Lammy said that a close friend of his, Khadija Saye, is missing following the blaze. Ms Saye is an artist who lives in Grenfell Tower. Her mother Mary is also among the missing.
NC Ranja Ibrham remains missing after the London fire
NC Sheila Smith has not been seen since the fire broke out in Grenfell Tower