Adele pays tribute to Grenfell survivors in her first interview in five years

Global megastar and Tottenham-raised hero Adele recently gave her first interview in five years and used the time to pay tribute to the survivors of 2017's Grenfell Tower fire.  

Speaking about her support for the Grenfell United charity, Adele discussed visiting the gutted towerblock in the days following the 2017 disaster, in which 72 people were killed. ‘It was just absolute despair,’ she told Vogue, ‘and I’m telling you no one who should have been helping was helping. I just couldn’t believe there was a building on fire in the middle of central London and it didn’t cause more outrage.’ 

Adele, who lived in council housing as a kid, added: ‘There are still a lot of buildings clad in that material. Grenfell aren’t asking for money, they’re just asking for that to be taken off the walls. I haven’t seen people as resilient as them in my whole life.’

The Grenfell Tower fire took place on June 14 2017. Last month it was reported that senior Whitehall sources had said government-hired structural engineering experts recommended ‘unambiguously and unanimously’ that the remains of the tower should be ‘carefully taken down’.

However, survivors and campaigners are unhappy about the lack of consultation from the government in reaching the decision to take the tower down. According Grenfell United, fewer than ten bereaved and survivors have been consulted on their thoughts about the decision to demolish the tower. Grenfell United’s statement said they were ‘shocked’ by the news, ‘given the promise by the government that no decision would be made on the future of the tower without full consultation with the bereaved and the survivors’.

The statement continued: ‘Given what we went through, safety has always been paramount and we have had previous assurances that the tower can be kept safe for as long as it needs to be, and that it poses no risk to the community around it.’

A statement released by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has since said that a final decision on the future of Grenfell Tower has not been made. It reads: ‘We know how important and sensitive this is, and no decision has been taken on the future of the Grenfell Tower. Following independent safety advice from structural engineers, we will continue to engage closely with the community as we consider the evidence, including the safety concerns raised. We have published this advice, along with other correspondence, to ensure those most affected have access to the information that will inform a decision on the Tower, before one is reached.’

The theatre group helping to rebuild its community after Grenfell.

A new play looks at the inquiry into the tragic fire.