Government blasts Kensington and Chelsea Council for halting meeting as journalists arrive
Downing Street has rebuked Kensington and Chelsea council over an aborted meeting about the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Media and the public were initially barred from attending the Thursday evening meeting, but after a challenge at the High Court, journalists won the right to be present.
However the leader of the council, Nicholas Paget-Brown, quickly abandoned the meeting, citing concerns about "prejudice" to an upcoming inquiry about the tragedy if journalists were there.
Prime Minister Theresa May's view was that the council should have "respected" a High Court ruling that the press and public should be allowed into the meeting, a Number 10 spokeswoman said on Friday.
Video shows angry scenes as the meeting is brought to a sudden end
ITV News reporter Nick Wallis described chaotic scenes after the meeting was stopped.
People began shouting, crying, and calling for the council executive to resign, he reported.
Labour councillor Robert Atkinson, who represents the ward that Grenfell Tower is in, had a furious altercation with Mr Paget-Brown after the decision was made to stop the meeting.
On Friday morning Kensington and Chelsea council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown replied "No comment" when asked if he should resign:
In a statement sent to ITV News after the meeting, the council said they had been given "legal advice" to stop the meeting and would "explore other opportunities" for open discussions.
The meeting row came amid reports that cladding used during a multimillion-pound refurbishment of the 24-storey high-rise was "downgraded" to a cheaper version.
Both The Times and the BBC said they had seen official documents which stated aluminium panels were preferred to the non-combustible zinc alternative - a saving of £300,000.
Downing Street said it is continuing to work "very closely" with the council throughout the ongoing recovery process.
The government also revealed that 149 cladding samples from high-rise buildings in 45 local authority areas have now failed fire safety tests - a 100% failure rate.
Meanwhile, an independent panel set up to advise on immediate safety improvements suggested that cladding which has failed safety tests may not have to be stripped from buildings in all cases.
The Independent Expert Advisory Panel chaired by the Government's former Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Sir Ken Knight met for the first time on Thursday and issued its first advice on Friday.
It said that in any cases where panels fail combustibility tests, landlords should follow interim safety measures issued last week, which involve thorough checks on fire precautions throughout buildings but do not require the immediate removal of cladding.
Where cladding has failed the combustibility test, landlords are expected to comply with measures set out in guidance released last week following the Grenfell blaze, including notifying the fire service and carrying out a series of safety checks.