During a plenary debate on fire safety, the Green Party representative told MEPs that many members of the Grenfell community feel they are “not being listened to” and that we “need input too from their experience in prevention”. Watch Jean’s full speech here.

The statement coincides with the launch of an official inquiry, which will seek to “provide answers” as to how the catastrophe at Grenfell could have occurred. The head of the investigation, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has today faced harsh criticism for failing to appoint any community members to the inquiry panel. [1]

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, told the Parliament:

“Thank you, President. And along with my colleagues, I also want to express my condolences to all those affected by the Grenfell fire, because I am also elected from the region of London as is my colleague Syed Kamall. 

We still don’t know the final death toll from that fire. But we do know the tragedy itself was a result of a number of factors. About regulation, or the lack of effective implementation of regulation. About building design. About smoke and toxicity. Cyanide gas was certainly related to some of the deaths. 

But also, attitudes to social housing tenants is certainly felt by many of the community to have been part of the tragedy that unfolded. Not being listened to. Procurement priorities not prioritising safety. And, indeed, this is compounded by the poor disaster response. 

So we need to learn from each other. We need an effective fire prevention strategy at the European level. We need to upgrade our regulations so that they are fit for purpose wherever you may be living in the European Union, and we also need to listen to the experience of those affected by fire to actually input too from their experience in prevention. Thank you.”