Theresa May has said she is “absolutely committed” to supporting those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy, after Stormzy called her out for criticism during the Brit Awards.
The rapper launched a blistering attack on the prime minister as he took to the stage during the awards ceremony on Wednesday (21 February), suggesting she was a “criminal”.
In a freestyle rap, he berated Mrs May for her lack of financial aid for Grenfell victims in the wake of last year’s fire, which claimed the lives of 71 people and left hundreds homeless.
He rapped: “Yo Theresa May, where’s that money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You’re criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages?
“You should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”
A Downing Street spokesperson has now responded to the controversy, claiming Mrs May continues to support the victims of Grenfell.
“The Prime Minister has been very clear that Grenfell is an unimaginable tragedy that should never be allowed to happen again,” they said.
“The public inquiry was set up by the Prime Minister to establish what went so tragically wrong and why people weren’t listened to for so many years.
“She has met with the families and survivors on a number of occasions.”
They continued: “She’s determined that the public inquiry will discover not just what went wrong but why the voices of the people of Grenfell were ignored over so many years.
“In terms of support for the people affected by this tragedy, more than £58 million has been committed.”
Mrs May is not understood to have seen Stormzy’s Brits performance, while her spokesperson said he was “not aware of any plans” for her to meet the star.
During his performance, Stormzy also hit out at the Daily Mail and institutionalised racism, while giving shout-outs to Jourdan Dunn and Daniel Kaluuya’s Baftas victory of the weekend.
He later received praise from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over his on-stage takedown of Mrs May.
The MP tweeted: “Congratulations @Stormzy1 for winning your first [Brit] award, and what a powerful performance.”
He also acknowledged the political message of his performance, signing off the tweet, “#Grenfell”
It is not the first time Stormzy has publicly blasted Mrs May over Grenfell - in September last year, he labelled her a “paigon” at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.
According to Urban Dictionary, a paigon is “a friend that lies, betrays and isn’t true to you”.
He also took a moment out of his Glastonbury set last year to say the government should be held “accountable” for the disaster.