Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
The Grenfell Tower fire – political or unfortunate?
Kensington and Chelsea Council has turned a traumatised community into ‘beggars,’ divided and compelled to compete with each other for its dubious ‘help’ – all while congratulating itself on its own beneficence, writes EMMA DENT COAD
A piece of green ribbon hangs from a railing in Silchester Road which bears placards of all of the names of the victims of the fire.

IN THE early days after the Grenfell Tower fire, after I had been interviewed as the very new MP for Kensington numerous times and had written about it for various publications, I was accused by senior Tories in Kensington and Chelsea Council of “politicising” the fire.

The idea that this terrifying and multifatal catastrophe at the end of my road was somehow a politically neutral event, some kind of misfortune or natural disaster, not man-made, was circulated vigorously. 

They said “tragedy” (sad face). The community said “atrocity” (angry face).

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Carnival-goer
Features / 31 August 2026
31 August 2026

Britain funds the policing of black culture 16 times better than the culture itself. The Diamond Jubilee is the moment to end that, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE

I’ACCUSE...! A comment left among tributes close to Grenfell Tower in west London the day after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building
Features / 23 May 2026
23 May 2026

YVETTE WILLIAMS and JOE DELANEY dissect the institutional dawdling that rubbed salt into the Grenfell open wounds prolonging the agony of survivors

Brighton and Hove Albion's Ferdi Kadioglu (left) and Arsenal's Leandro Trossard battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the American Express Stadium, Brighton, March 4 2026
Men's Football / 5 March 2026
5 March 2026
RAW EMOTIONS: The memorial beneath Grenfell Tower is expected to take ‘around two years to sensitively take down’
Features / 13 December 2025
13 December 2025

As we approach the half-anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy, the community gathers to remember loved ones while grappling with mixed emotions surrounding the ongoing deconstruction of the tower and the hopeful plans for a memorial, writes EMMA DENT COAD