Our hearts go out to all those caught up in the fire in Kensington, many of whom still don’t know what has happened to their friends and family members, and to those who escaped, but have lost everything.
Once again our emergency services have been on the frontline. Brave firefighters risked their lives to save people from the blaze, and NHS staff rushed into hospitals across the capital to help treat the casualties. And our fantastic members in the London Ambulance Service once again showed true bravery by rushing into a horrifying situation.
The public enquiry announced today must uncover why the flames were able to spread so quickly and why repeated warnings from residents worried about fire safety were ignored.
Anyone living in tower blocks or working in high-rise buildings across the country will understandably be anxious. The government must ensure councils have the money to install sprinkler systems in all tower blocks, and carry out urgent checks on any that have recently had external cladding installed.
As we have long argued, there must also be no further cuts to fire and rescue services or to local authority safety budgets.
We cannot risk another tragedy like this happening ever again.