Amnesty for illegal immigrants affected by Grenfell Tower disaster

Amnesty: Housing minister Brandon Lewis
Glenn Copus

Illegal immigrants who escaped from the Grenfell Tower inferno will get a one-year amnesty, Theresa May ruled today.

They will have leave to remain in the UK for 12 months with full support from the welfare system.

The move was decided to encourage people to come forward with information about who was living in the tower block, removing victims or witnesses’ fear of being detained or deported.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis told MPs the Government would not carry out any immigration checks on witnesses coming forward to provide information about possible victims.

He added: “However, we recognise some foreign nationals directly affected by the fire may not wish to engage with the authorities due to concerns about their unresolved immigration status, or if their status is about to expire.

“I am therefore announcing today that those individuals directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire who contact the Home Office via a specified process will be given a period of limited leave to remain in the UK with full access to relevant support and assistance.”

Sadiq Khan: Local community have got no confidence in the local council following response to Grenfell Tower

People can apply for permanent residency later, say officials.

The Mayor of London today warned a Government taskforce to help Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council risked “making the situation worse”. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced dozens of experts will be drafted in to help the authority manage social housing, regeneration and community engagement. The move is one step short of an official central government takeover by commissioners.

Sadiq Khan said: “The appointment of independent and external experts to take over the management of key council functions in Kensington and Chelsea is the absolute minimum, given the failure of the council to respond to the Grenfell tragedy. However, the way the Government is going about this risks making the situation worse rather than better.

“Appointing external commissioners, after consultation with local residents, to take on the full running of the council until next year’s elections would be a far more effective approach, as it would recognise the legitimacy of residents’ concerns and be a crucial first step towards rebuilding trust. If the Government is determined to carry on with this approach, then it is absolutely critical that local residents are consulted and given a say over who the independent experts are.”

A Government source said the experts are leaders in their fields from outstanding councils or recently “turned-around” authorities.

Kensington and Chelsea council leader Elizabeth Campbell said the “unprecedented scale of this incident makes it impossible for one organisation to cope on its own”. She said: “That’s why my first action as leader was to ask DCLG for help and I’m delighted they have been so swift to respond.”

The announcement follows a difficult meeting last night between survivors, Met Police commander Stuart Cundy and Westminster coroner Fiona Wilcox. Residents said they felt questions on the death toll and the time taken to identify victims went unanswered.