Adele pays tribute to Grenfell fire victims on 4th anniversary

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The Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 victims in the 2017 blaze in London. Now the seven-time Formula One champion is facing protests from survivors of the tragedy as his Mercedes car will be emblazoned with Kingspan’s logo starting this weekend.

Kingspan made some of the insulation used on the refurbishment of the tower.

Survivors have demanded the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team drop the sponsorship deal.

Now, Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, branded the deal “truly shocking”.

He said he was “deeply disappointed Mercedes are accepting sponsorship from cladding firm Kingspan … while the Grenfell inquiry is ongoing”.

The survivors’ group Grenfell United accused Kingspan of playing a central role in “inflicting the pain and suffering” they feel.

In a letter to the team boss, Toto Wolff, they said: “Kingspan played a central role in inflicting the pain and suffering that we feel today, and there must be a degree of public censure for Kingspan’s recklessness and carelessness for human life.”

They called for Mr Wolff to “immediately sever your relationship” with Kingspan.

Mr Hamilton has previously supported the Grenfell community.

On the third anniversary of the tragedy, he posted on Instagram: “Today marks three years since the horrific Grenfell Tower fire in London.

“Remembering the 72 souls we lost and their loved ones, and everyone affected by this tragedy. #justiceforgrenfell.”

In a statement, Mercedes said: “Our partner Kingspan has supported and continues to support, the vitally important work of the inquiry to determine what went wrong and why in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

“Our new partnership announced this week is centred on sustainability and will support us in achieving our targets in this area.”

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This year, Kingspan’s chief executive, Gene Murtagh, admitted “unacceptable conduct and historical process shortcomings, involving a small number of employees”.

However, he said this did “not reflect the high standards of integrity and safety that are core Kingspan values”.

He said: “We have already implemented several important changes that demonstrate our commitment to product compliance and good governance.

“Our aims are clear: to reassure that safety takes precedence over all other considerations and to ensure this can never happen again.”

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, fire-safety improvements have been required.

As the fire broke out, residents were told to stay in their flats by firefighters and 999 operators for nearly two hours.

It is believed that up to 55 of the 72 victims who died were prevented from escaping because of the “stay put” strategy, which was rescinded at 2.47am – two hours after the fire broke out.

In an official report, which followed a two-year investigation, it found a full evacuation should have been implemented at least an hour before the order was given.

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