Lily Allen has shared her thoughts on the Grenfell Tower inquiry, which began on Thursday (14 September), admitting concern over the “lack of diversity” on the panel.
Lily was speaking at the Diversity In Media Awards, where she was given the Hero Of The Year accolade, in recognition of the efforts she has made to raise funds and support those affected by the blaze.
On the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, Lily explained her stance to HuffPost UK, saying: “My main concern is the lack of the diversity within the enquiry.
“I was there at 2:30 in the morning on the night of the fire.
“I’ve only ever felt like I’ve wanted to amplify the voices of those people whose voices would not ordinarily be heard.”
Lily isn’t the first person to share fears over this as a coalition of BME lawyers, chaired by Peter Herbert, tried to challenge Judge Moore-Bick’s all-white inquiry panel days before proceedings began.
The singer added that “obviously the primary concern for everybody is the people that’ve been displaced”, before answering the question of what she’d like to see happen next with: “Anything, in all honesty.
“Any kind of compassion from RBKC [Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea] or from the government. That’s what I’d like to see.”
When Lily later received her award, she used her time on the stage to discuss Grenfell and admit that she felt “uncomfortable” being declared a hero.
The star later posted a full copy of her speech on Twitter:
Other winners on the night included Diane Abbott, Reggie Yates and Rio Ferdinand.