UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will join people across country in marking the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in video messages due to COVID-19 pandemic.
In a video address to be shown at a virtual service of commemoration, Johnson said that the people of Britain were with the Grenfell Tower community 'in spirit'.
“We can all remember where we were three years ago today when we saw this tragedy unfolding on our screens and across the London skyline,” Johnson said.
“As a nation, we are still dealing with the consequences of what happened and working to make sure it never happens again. While those affected by Grenfell are not able to gather in person, all of us in this country are with you in spirit,” he added.
On 14 June 2017, a massive fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey residential building in west London, killing 72 and injuring more than 70 others. Earlier findings of an investigation into the blaze found many violations of fire safety standards, such as flammable materials being used in the cladding.
Following the incident, the UK government launched a series of combustibility tests of high-rise residential buildings across the country, which revealed that 262 buildings used the same or similar cladding.