Grenfell fire: Community divided over fate of tower

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Choucair said: “A lot of families are upset that it has to come down but we’re hoping it can stay up a lot longer because there are a lot of people who haven’t been prosecuted.”

He said the decision had been rushed, adding: “It’s a very sensitive, delicate matter so it needs to be thought out well.”

The sentiment was echoed by Damel Carayol who was at Wednesday’s meeting with Rayner. He said he was taken by surprise by the announcement.

“I don’t think anything should be done to the building before justice is served and those who are responsible go to court and are tried,” he said.

“It would be extremely painful if anything happened to the tower before the criminal investigation was concluded.”

Mr Carayol, who is with the Humanity For Grenfell group and lost a niece and cousin in the fire, said some families see the tower as a “burial ground”.

Bernadette Bernard, one of the many bereaved relatives, said: “The tower for me is actually where my brother was cremated, so it’s his resting place, it’s his grave.

“It’s more than just a building and Angela Rayner’s decision, for me, is a desecration of my brother’s grave.”