Theresa May rebuffs Stormzy accusations about Grenfell victims

Stormzy sang 'Yo, Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell' in a politically-charged Brit Awards performance

Lizzy Buchan
Political Correspondent
Thursday 22 February 2018 13:15 GMT
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BRIT Awards 2018: Stormzy calls out Theresa May over Grenfell Tower

Theresa May has rebuffed accusations from Stormzy that she had forgotten about the victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze.

The grime artist attacked the Prime Minister during a politically charged performance at the Brit Awards on Wednesday night, where he lashed out at the Government’s response to the devastating tower block fire in west London last year.

Downing Street insisted that Ms May is “absolutely committed” to supporting people affected by the tragedy, which killed 71 people and provoked a wave of public outrage.

Stormzy, who won two of the biggest awards of the night, closed the televised ceremony by singing: “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.”

The PM’s official spokesman said he was “not aware” of any plans for Ms May to meet Stormzy, who has been a vocal supporter of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He told a Westminster briefing: “The Prime Minister has been very clear that Grenfell was an unimaginable tragedy that should never have happened and must never happen again.

“She’s determined that the public inquiry will discover not just what went wrong but why the voices of the people of Grenfell were ignored over so many years.

“In terms of support for the people affected by this tragedy, more than £58 million has been committed.”

Her spokesman was unable to say whether Ms May was a fan of the award-winning grime star but confirmed that she did not watch the annual awards ceremony.

Stormzy was praised for his comments by several politicians, including Mr Corbyn, who said: “Congratulations, Stormzy, for winning your first Brit award and what a powerful performance #Grenfell.”

Kensington and Chelsea MP Emma Dent Coad also tweeted: “Thank you for speaking truth to power Stormzy.

“In Kensington we will never forget. We will never stop fighting for justice. No justice, no peace.”

Tottenham MP David Lammy took to Twitter to show his support, adding: “Respect Stormzy for speaking truth to power.”

The grime star spoke out about Grenfell Tower during a set at Glastonbury Festival, and denounced Ms May as a “paigon” - slang for a liar - during the GQ awards last year.

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