Morning Briefing: Grenfell residents petition parliament

In the news

Grenfell Tower residents have warned the prime minister they may not take part in the upcoming public inquiry into the fire unless the judge leading it gives them more direct involvement, The Guardian reports.

Issuing a joint statement for the first time since the tragedy, 50 bereaved families and a large number of survivors launched a petition calling on the prime minister to “take urgent action to restore our faith” in the inquiry.

Elsewhere, the BBC reports that there are 23,000 homes sitting empty in Wales, with some councils bringing less than 1% back into use.

Housing charity Shelter Cymru told the BBC: “Empty homes are a blight on the community and a total waste of resource. They attract vandalism and vermin.”