The Grenfell Tower fire in London's North Kensington last Wednesday has sent the British Government into a tailspin. The public housing high rise did not conform to some of the basic fire safety regulations due to cost cutting by the Government and today angry protestors marched to the council offices to register their dismay at the state of affairs. Even the Prime Minister was not spared during her visit today as the protestors heckled her.

Justified anger

The casualties from the fire that took place on Wednesday currently stands at 30 and according to Stuart Cundy, the London Police Cmdr.

that toll is expected to rise. However, the reasons behind the public's anger are manifold. First and foremost, the death toll was preventable. The outer cladding at Grenfell Tower is believed to be far more flammable than alternatives and it has now been revealed by several sections of the media that the Government opted for it as it was cheaper.

The fire spread far more quickly because of the cladding. On top of that, the safety instructions proved to be equally poor. People were asked to stay in until the fire services arrived at the scene and in that time gap, the fire spread throughout the building, claiming more lives in the process.

Protesters entered the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to lodge their frustration, while many more marched to Whitehall and then 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence.

The PM wasn't spared

British Prime Minister Theresa May's ill-advised decision to visit Grenfell Tower on Thursday but not meet any of the residents for fear of her safety not only attracted a lot of bad press but also made her an object of loathing among protestors.

It painted a worse picture because Queen Elizabeth visited the site and met the residents personally. The leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn did the same.

As a result, it was no surprise that she was heckled when she visited the site today and protestors heckled her with shouts of 'Shame on you!' The Prime Minister had to quickly get to her waiting car for fear that things could get out of control.

There is an element of fear that these protests could soon spiral out of control and lead to widespread riots. May stayed on as Prime Minister after narrowly winning an election that she herself called and within a week, she is embroiled in something that threatens to send her government into a further meltdown.
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