Diane Abbott wants full amnesty for illegal immigrants who survived Grenfell Tower fire

Illegal immigrants who survived the Grenfell Tower fire should get a "full amnesty" and be allowed to stay in the country, Labour's Diane Abbott has said.

The shadow home secretary said the government's current offer of allowing survivors to stay in the UK for 12 months regardless of their immigration status did not go far enough, and would leave them and relatives "frightened" of seeking help from authorities.

Home Office minister Brandon Lewis announced the government's temporary amnesty on Wednesday (5 July), saying his department would not conduct immigration checks on those who came forward.

In a written statement to Parliament, he said the government's priority is "to ensure that victims of this tragedy get the access they need to vital services, irrespective of immigration status".

But in a letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Abbott said the "partial measure" was insufficient.

"Without a full immigration amnesty there will be survivors and relatives of survivors who are frightened to approach the authorities," she wrote.

"There will be people who have died whom we will never know about, and too many people who need help whom will not receive it."

She went to ask: "What assurance does it give a survivor to know that having volunteered their details in just 12 months they could face deportation?"

It comes after the government announced that an independent recovery taskforce would be sent in to help run the beleaguered Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council.

On Wednesday, police said they had recovered the "last of the visible human remains" from the west London tower.

"In total we have made 87 recoveries, but I must stress that the catastrophic damage inside Grenfell Tower means that is not 87 people," Commander Stuart Cundy said.

Police believe the death toll of the 14 June blaze is 80 people, but that number could rise.

An independent inquiry into the fire, led by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has launched a consultation into its work. The deadline for submissions has been set for 14 July.

"To produce a report as quickly as possible, with clear recommendations for action, I will listen to people and consider a broad range of evidence, including on the role of the relevant public authorities and contractors, in order to help me answer the important questions," Sir Martin said.

"I therefore want to hear from people directly affected by the fire and others involved, to listen to their views on the shape of the Inquiry's work and the questions we should be seeking to answer."