Labour’s Emma Dent Coad has launched a fresh attack on the Royal Family, slamming the government for finding millions to restore Buckingham Palace while “abandoning” survivors of Grenfell Tower.
The Kensington MP, who was criticised for describing herself as the Royals’ “worst nightmare” and making fun of Prince Harry’s military career, released a statement on Thursday afternoon asking people to focus on “the real issues”.
She said: “The government has recently found £.3bn to restore Buckingham Palace, a palace with 52 Royal and guest bedrooms and 188 staff bedrooms. It is lived in by just three members of the Royal Family.
“Meanwhile, a short walk away, survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have been abandoned in pokey hotel rooms for 15 weeks because there are no homes available for them.”
Dent Coad said one heavily pregnant woman had nowhere to go after the birth of her baby apart from her tiny temporary accommodation, which had no room for a cot and another disabled survivor was moved six times, forgotten by her carers and “left laying in her own excrement”.
She added she had “total respect for former soldiers”, after critics accused her of disparaging both Prince Harry’s service in the Army and his work to honour veterans.
“On Monday night I made a joke. It has been taken the wrong way. Can we look at the real issues facing us now?
The newly-elected MP went on to reveal some Grenfell survivors had “given up hope” and were contemplating suicide and that a baby had been hospitalised after being given expired milk by the council.
“Where is the £20m raised in donations, and where is the help people so desperately need?” she said.
“Will we have to face a round of deaths and suicides before the government wakes up to this second tragedy caused by the council, takes command, and pledges fully funded support via appointed commissioners for survivors of this avoidable atrocity?
“People are angry. I’m angry too. And I will highlight these issues loud, clear and often until they are addressed.”
A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council said the issue was under investigation.