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Jacob Rees-Mogg apologises over Grenfell ‘common sense’ comments
Jacob Rees-Mogg has apologised after suggesting that victims of the Grenfell Tower fire lacked “common sense” by following the orders of the London Fire Brigade to stay in their flats.
The leader of the House of Commons told London radio station LBC last night that the victims would have survived if they had ignored instructions by the fire service to stay put.
Speaking to host Nick Ferrari, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “If you just ignore what you are told and leave, you are so much safer.
“I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave a burning building. It just seems the common sense thing to do. And it’s such a tragedy that that didn’t happen.”
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The Conservative politician’s comments attracted widespread condemnation.
Survivors group Grenfell United tweeted: “The leader of the House of Commons suggesting that the 72 people who lost their lives at Grenfell lacked common sense is beyond disrespectful. It is extremely painful and insulting to bereaved families.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “What possesses someone to react to an entirely avoidable tragedy like Grenfell by saying the victims lacked common sense? People were terrified, many died trying to escape. Jacob Rees-Mogg must apologise for these crass and insensitive comments immediately.”
In a widely reported apology, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “I profoundly apologise. What I meant to say is that I would have also listened to the fire brigade’s advice to stay and wait at the time.
“However, with what we know now and with hindsight I wouldn’t and I don’t think anyone else would.
“What’s so sad is that the advice given overrides common sense because everybody would want to leave a burning building.”
The fire brigade’s stay put policy has attracted controversy as it emerged that it was only abandoned after around two hours into the fire at Grenfell Tower, which killed 72 people.
The first phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, being led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, concluded last week that “many more” lives could have been saved if the London Fire Brigade had abandoned the stay put policy sooner.
Last month, outgoing London fire chief Dany Cotton called on the government to carry out urgent research into the stay put policy as it was “no longer viable” for some buildings.
