Angela Rayner’s aggressiveness left Grenfell survivors like me appalled

At a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, my body turned cold as she revealed the news. 

I’m a disabled survivor of the Grenfell fire, and to a room full of my fellow residents of the tower on Wednesday, Rayner told us her government was demolishing it.

I felt awful, with the energy draining out of me as I listened to her. 

Bereaved family members and survivors asked Rayner whether she had consulted our groups, and it was disappointing to see her get defensive and even aggressive in response to our reasonable questions. 

It’s heartbreaking that this decision is being made, especially without our support or understanding.

I’m hurt that she wants to tear down a place where dozens of people – my friends and neighbours – died. 

It’s a grave site, a coffin in the sky. No one’s trying to rip apart Kensal Green cemetery so why are they trying to tear down Grenfell Tower?

Survivors like me are calling on the government to reconsider. 

I escaped in the lift from the 20th floor of the tower with my partner Luke. 

Sometimes when I hear sirens from fire engines, I can be triggered into a panic attack, and it’s most common when I’m near Grenfell. 

I have been trying to implement what my therapist has been teaching me, to focus on something else when I hear sirens.

What’s also helped me with my recovery from the trauma of the fire, is having good relationships with my fellow survivors and the bereaved family members.

I know that if I want to cry, it’s OK to do it in front of them. I don’t have to hold back my feelings, I know they’ll understand and this has really helped me to start to heal.

But our healing is not going to be helped by the tower being torn down. 

From looking around the room during our meeting with Angela Rayner, it looked like the majority of those in attendance were not in agreement with this decision. And I haven’t seen anyone from our groups come out in support. 

Frankly it’s upsetting to not have had any direct correspondence with her since she took office in July.

But none of this is new to me. It feels as if I’m always excluded from their consultations. I remember that Michael Gove also had a meeting a couple of years back for those impacted by the fire and forgot to ask me to join. 

And I’m not the only one. One of my friends who is a bereaved family member abroad wasn’t even offered an online option to join the meeting with Rayner. 

How we are being treated by politicians in the present echoes how we were treated by the local authority in the past – when they just kept on ignoring our complaints and fire safety concerns.

I personally want a part of the tower to become a standing memorial. I think that the tower should be taken down from the top part to the tenth floor, which I understand to be the most unstable part of the building. 

They could use the base of the tower to erect a metal framework with a tasteful green heart on the top. 

It’s crucial that we have a reminder of the consequences of deregulation and of the loved ones that we’ve lost. My worry is that if Grenfell Tower is out of sight, it will definitely be out of mind for those responsible for the tragic deaths and that’s what we don’t want.

Angela Rayner needs to consult with all of the Grenfell groups and the residents of the estate, where the tower still remains.

These are all groups who have the right to say what happens and what they think would be a fitting memorial.

Rayner needs to change her plans, and if Wednesday’s meeting is anything to go by, her behaviour too. 

Grenfell survivors have already been through so much and to be denied a vote in the consultation process is another kick in the teeth.

I don’t accept the deputy prime minister’s decision to demolish the tower, and I’m not alone. 

For me, this is the start of a counter campaign. I’ve launched a petition demanding a thorough and effective consultation where survivors, bereaved family members and those that live in the Grenfell ward can vote for what they would like to see happen here.

If we get enough signatures and apply the right amount of pressure, I am confident that we can get this decision overturned.

It’s the least we deserve. 

At a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, my body turned cold as she revealed the news. 

I’m a disabled survivor of the Grenfell fire, and to a room full of my fellow residents of the tower on Wednesday, Rayner told us her government was demolishing it.

I felt awful, with the energy draining out of me as I listened to her. 

Bereaved family members and survivors asked Rayner whether she had consulted our groups, and it was disappointing to see her get defensive and even aggressive in response to our reasonable questions. 

It’s heartbreaking that this decision is being made, especially without our support or understanding.

I’m hurt that she wants to tear down a place where dozens of people – my friends and neighbours – died. 

It’s a grave site, a coffin in the sky. No one’s trying to rip apart Kensal Green cemetery so why are they trying to tear down Grenfell Tower?

Survivors like me are calling on the government to reconsider. 

I escaped in the lift from the 20th floor of the tower with my partner Luke. 

Sometimes when I hear sirens from fire engines, I can be triggered into a panic attack, and it’s most common when I’m near Grenfell. 

I have been trying to implement what my therapist has been teaching me, to focus on something else when I hear sirens.

What’s also helped me with my recovery from the trauma of the fire, is having good relationships with my fellow survivors and the bereaved family members.

I know that if I want to cry, it’s OK to do it in front of them. I don’t have to hold back my feelings, I know they’ll understand and this has really helped me to start to heal.

But our healing is not going to be helped by the tower being torn down. 

From looking around the room during our meeting with Angela Rayner, it looked like the majority of those in attendance were not in agreement with this decision. And I haven’t seen anyone from our groups come out in support. 

Frankly it’s upsetting to not have had any direct correspondence with her since she took office in July.

But none of this is new to me. It feels as if I’m always excluded from their consultations. I remember that Michael Gove also had a meeting a couple of years back for those impacted by the fire and forgot to ask me to join. 

And I’m not the only one. One of my friends who is a bereaved family member abroad wasn’t even offered an online option to join the meeting with Rayner. 

How we are being treated by politicians in the present echoes how we were treated by the local authority in the past – when they just kept on ignoring our complaints and fire safety concerns.

I personally want a part of the tower to become a standing memorial. I think that the tower should be taken down from the top part to the tenth floor, which I understand to be the most unstable part of the building. 

They could use the base of the tower to erect a metal framework with a tasteful green heart on the top. 

It’s crucial that we have a reminder of the consequences of deregulation and of the loved ones that we’ve lost. My worry is that if Grenfell Tower is out of sight, it will definitely be out of mind for those responsible for the tragic deaths and that’s what we don’t want.

Angela Rayner needs to consult with all of the Grenfell groups and the residents of the estate, where the tower still remains.

These are all groups who have the right to say what happens and what they think would be a fitting memorial.

Rayner needs to change her plans, and if Wednesday’s meeting is anything to go by, her behaviour too. 

Grenfell survivors have already been through so much and to be denied a vote in the consultation process is another kick in the teeth.

I don’t accept the deputy prime minister’s decision to demolish the tower, and I’m not alone. 

For me, this is the start of a counter campaign. I’ve launched a petition demanding a thorough and effective consultation where survivors, bereaved family members and those that live in the Grenfell ward can vote for what they would like to see happen here.

If we get enough signatures and apply the right amount of pressure, I am confident that we can get this decision overturned.

It’s the least we deserve. 

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