'Real parallels with Hillsborough': Shelagh Fogarty on Grenfell handling
14 June 2022, 14:57
'There have been no arrests, thousands remain trapped in unsafe homes across the country.'
Shelagh Fogarty has warned of "parallels" in how authorities responded to the Grenfell fire and Hillsborough disasters.
Five-years-ago today 72-people were killed when an inferno raged through Grenfell Tower, made worse by the building's flammable cladding.
The Grenfell Tower public inquiry is expected to report later this year, with a separate police investigation running in parallel.
Speaking on her LBC show Shelagh said: "There are real parallels here with the Hillsborough disaster and elements of the response to it.
"If I were a family member linked to Grenfell I would look to Hillsborough as an example of what to avoid in terms of those years of campaigning.
"A fear would grip me that we face the same process trying to get justice for the 72 people who died in that appalling fire, elements of which had been forewarned by people who lived there.
"The warning from Hillsborough is institutions can turn on people."
READ MORE: LBC Views - Five years after Grenfell survivors now speak of a lack of impetus and justice
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry 'is taking far too long'
In 2012 then Prime Minister David Cameron apologised for failures leading up to the 1989 Hillsborough stadium tragedy, which killed 97, and for subsequent attempts to shift blame onto the fans.
Shelagh questioned whether lessons have been learned from the Grenfell Tower disaster, with many still living in properties with dangerous cladding.
She commented: "Today marks five years since that awful tragedy but there have been no arrests.
"Thousands remain trapped in unsafe homes across the country."
Grenfell Tower survivors are battling for accountability, with LBC correspondent Rachael Venables reporting many "want criminal accountability".
Police have interviewed more than 40 people under caution as part of their Grenfell investigation, which could lead to criminal charges after the public inquiry reports.
READ MORE: Almost 10,000 buildings 'unsafe' with danger cladding five years on from Grenfell
