02 February 2023 , 11:18
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A firefighter took a selfie in front of a smouldering Grenfell Tower and then used it for his Tinder profile.
The London Fire Brigade worker is said to have taken the picture "in the immediate aftermath" of the tragedy which killed 72 people, including 18 children, in 2017.
He is believed to have been given a warning and told to quickly delete the image off the dating app, London Assembly members were told.
Nazir Afzal, author of the London Fire Brigade report, made the revelation while explaining that evidence submissions had not stopped since the Brigade was found to be institutionally misogynistic and racist in November.
He said: "In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell when the fire has just been raging a male firefighter had a selfie taken of himself outside the building which he then used as his Tinder profile.
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The shocking revelation was made by Nazir Afzal, author of the London Fire Brigade report (PA)"He was quickly told to get rid of it, he was subsequently, I understand, given words of warning.
"The question you have to ask yourself is how did he feel entitled to do that? Why did he feel entitled to do that? When 72 lives have been lost in the building, including 18 children.
"And he felt what was more important was how he would look to other women on his social media site."
The comments come after Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told housing developers to commit to repairing unsafe buildings or be banned from the market..
The Housing Secretary on Monday announced a six-week deadline for developers to sign a Government contract to fix problematic towers from the past 30 years that are more than 11 metres high.
Nazir Afzal, author of the London Fire Brigade report, made the revelation (Alamy Stock Photo)Companies that do not sign up will be blocked from "carrying out major development, and from receiving building control sign-off for buildings already under construction" under the so-called "responsible actor scheme", to be established in the spring.
In a written ministerial statement, Mr Gove said: "Developers and building owners responsible for unsafe buildings should be under no doubt: there will be significant consequences if they fail to comply with their legal obligations."
He also apologised to families affected by the tragedy, telling Sky News: "I think that if you look at what happened to Grenfell, there were lots of factors but yes, Government collectively has to take some responsibility."
He said that responsibility extends beyond the Conservative Government.
Smoke billowing from the fire in 2017 (PA)"It is undeniably the case that the system of building regulation was not right," he told the programme.
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Asked if he would apologise, Mr Gove said he "absolutely would".
"I remember visiting the site just a couple of days after the fire and thinking that it was horrific that this had happened. The more that I discovered about the circumstances the more horrified I was. There were people in that building who had warned beforehand that they were in potential danger. The warnings were not heeded."
"I'm the first, I hope, to acknowledge that we haven't done right by the bereaved and the residents and survivors from Grenfell and that is one very, very important mission.
Michael Gove has told housing developers to commit to repairing unsafe buildings or be banned from the market. (PA)"But it's also the case that there been people who have been effectively imprisoned in their own flats for too long", Mr Gove said in an interview on Sophy Ridge On Sunday.
Shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy said Labour supported the principle of the responsible actor scheme.
"However, the Secretary of State has claimed he's being tough on this before. It has been one year since he last made this demand on developers.
"Five years after the Grenfell tragedy only seven per cent of flats at fire risk have been fixed, and millions are still left with unsellable properties and eye-watering bills.
"People need action not gestures, so Labour will push ministers for hard, urgent timelines for remediation attached to this scheme and further action to ensure fair liability of the winder industry, including the manufacturers of unsafe cladding and insulation.
"Six months ago, Labour called for a new Leaseholder Reform Bill to bring an end to this arcane system, we once again urge ministers to bring forward this bill without delay."