Angela Rayner today defended her meeting with families and survivors of the Grenfell disaster, after claims she was ‘aggressive’.

The west London tower, where 72 people died in an horrific 2017 fire, will be ‘carefully’ demolished in a process likely to take two years, it has been confirmed.

The tower will be brought down to ground level, with some parts returned where possible to be included in a memorial ‘if the community wishes’.

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The Government has officially announced the west London block’s future, having been met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire following a private meeting earlier this week.

Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, told the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg she does not feel she was ‘aggressive’ during the meeting and that she had taken part in multiple meetings with different families and community groups during the consultation phase.

‘I felt, weighing up all of the different conversations that I had, and the engineering report, that actually the only way forward really was to sensitively make sure that we start taking the tower to ground level, but that we have a lasting memorial on that site,’ she told the programme.

She said she was determined to work with the families to develop a ‘lasting memorial’ to ‘do justice to what is a sacred place’.

Some expressed upset and shock after the meeting with Ms Rayner on Wednesday, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken.

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The west London tower, where 72 people died in an horrific 2017 fire, will be ‘carefully’ demolished in a process likely to take two years, it has been confirmed.

How Grenfell Tower disaster unfolded: Minute by horrifying minute

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The tower will be brought down to ground level, with some parts returned where possible to be included in a memorial ‘if the community wishes’.

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View gallery

The Government has officially announced the west London block’s future, having been met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire following a private meeting earlier this week.

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Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved and survivors, said it appeared from the meeting room that ‘no-one supported’ the Government’s decision.

They added: ‘Ignoring the voices of the bereaved on the future of our loved ones’ grave site is disgraceful and unforgivable’.

A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a separate group representing some bereaved families, said that while the decision was ‘obviously a very sensitive and difficult’ one, families ‘understand the hard facts around safety’.

In an official update on Friday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said engineering advice is that the tower ‘is significantly damaged’ and will get worse with time.

The department said: ‘It will likely take around two years to sensitively take down the tower through a process of careful and sensitive progressive deconstruction that happens behind the wrapping.’

During the week, the Government insisted that Ms Rayner ‘prioritised engagement with the community’ since taking up her role last summer – and has met bereaved families, survivors and residents in the area.

No changes will take place before the eighth anniversary in June.

What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the fire, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words ‘forever in our hearts’.

The June 2017 disaster claimed the lives of 72 people.

Views on what should happen to the tower have varied, with the department acknowledging there had been hopes for some of it to remain in place as a lasting memorial to what happened while others had reported this would be ‘too painful’.

The Government, while noting a feeling among some that the tower’s presence is a reminder of the need for justice and accountability, confirmed the lower floors will not be kept in place as the tower is ‘carefully taken down to the ground’.

The update stated: ‘Engineers also advise it is not practicable to retain many of the floors of the building in place as part of a memorial that must last in perpetuity.

‘Taking the engineering advice into account the Deputy Prime Minister concluded that it would not be fair to keep some floors of the building that are significant to some families, whilst not being able to do so for others and knowing that, for some, this would be deeply upsetting.’

Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a ‘sacred space’, designed to be a ‘peaceful place for remembering and reflecting’.

It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026.

The Government said it supports the commission’s work and will ensure materials from the site, communal areas of the tower, or parts of the tower are ‘carefully removed and returned for inclusion as part of the memorial, if the community wishes’.

A petition has since been launched by a survivor, calling for all those affected to be ‘effectively consulted’ on the tower’s future.

Emma O’Connor, who lived on the 20th floor and escaped the burning block on the night, said a decision to demolish the tower should be stalled until there is more community engagement.

Regarding claims of a lack of consultation, Downing Street said Ms Rayner had ‘multiple engagements with the community on multiple occasions’.

A Number 10 spokesperson added: ‘There is absolutely no suggestion she hasn’t engaged with the community on what is clearly a deeply emotive and personal issue for everyone involved.’

Friday’s update stated that Ms Rayner had offered meetings with herself and officials from November, having explained she would make a decision this month.

The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of ‘decades of failure’ by the government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.

The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as ‘unbearable’.

The Government said it had ‘regularly consulted’ with police, the coroner and the inquiry ‘to ensure decisions about the site do not interfere with their important work in pursuit of justice and accountability’.