Grenfell Tower: Theresa May will ‘always regret’ her reaction
Image copyright Getty Images Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will "always regret" not meeting the residents of Grenfell Tower in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Writing in the Evening Standard, Mrs May said she understood her actions may have made it appear she "didn't care".
Ahead of Thursday's one-year anniversary, she said she wanted to make clear that was "never the case".
A total of 72 people died as a result of the blaze, the judge-led inquiry into the fire has said.
This includes Maria Del Pilar Burton, 74, who died in January. She had been in hospital since she was rescued from the 19th floor.
Mrs May said it was "clear" that the initial response to the disaster was "not good enough", adding: "I include myself in that."
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She continued: "What I did not do on that first visit was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze.
"But the residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power recognised and understood their despair.
"And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didn't care."
