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197 Aftermath of the fire: Central government and the Mayor of London

鈥淐haos and hyperactivity in the department鈥

This week, the Inquiry heard about the confusion, lack of grip and poor communication within Whitehall, as ministers and civil servants dealt with the aftermath of the fire. Nick Hurd was given the initial responsibility for leading the government鈥檚 response, despite being only two days into his ministerial position at the time of the Grenfell fire. He described the government鈥檚 actions as 鈥渨holly inadequate鈥. A senior civil servant described the local authority's response to residential complaints about housing as a 鈥渟ign of defensiveness鈥 and the Mayor of London鈥檚 chief of staff said that Grenfell residents were 鈥渇ailed by us as a society鈥.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

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35 minutes

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