Grenfell Inquiry petition backed by Stormzy to be debated in parliament after over 100,000 people sign

Stormzy, who delivered a powerful political message to the survivors of the Grenfell fire during his Brit Awards 2018 performance, tweeted "job done" after an online campaign calling for the government to appoint additional panel members to the independent Inquiry passed the 100,000 threshold.

The petition, started by Grenfell survivors and relatives of the victims of the tragedy, asked Prime Minister Theresa May to appoint panel members "with relevant background, expertise, experience, and a real understanding of the issues facing those affected".

It also called for legal representatives of bereaved families to be allowed to see all evidence from the start and question witnesses, in order to "avoid a collapse of confidence in the Inquiry's ability to discover the truth".

With more than 100,000 supporters, the petition will now be considered for a debate in parliament.

A statement in response to the petition from the government said that the "independent public Inquiry into the fire is an important part of the process and will help those affected get the answers they need to get to the truth of what happened."

However, the statement added, "It is the Prime Minister's view that the inquiry panel has the necessary expertise to undertake the Inquiry as it is currently constituted."

The petition was started by Adel Chaoui, Karim Mussilhy and Sandra Ruiz, and was delivered to Downing Street in December last year. Prime Minister Theresa May replied to the bereaved Grenfell families saying that additional panel members should not be appointed at this time in order for the inquiry to "complete its initial report as quickly as reasonably possible".

On Wednesday 21st February, Stormzy used his performance at the Brit Awards to question the government's response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, rapping the lyrics, "Yo Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?

"You criminals, and you've got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this."