Grenfell Tower fire: Family of toddler victim Jeremiah Deen says those responsible 'must pay'

The family of a two-year-old boy who died with his mother in the Grenfell Tower fire has said those responsible for the tragedy "must pay" for gambling with people's lives. On Tuesday 1 August, the Met Police confirmed toddler Jeremiah Deen was killed with his mother, Zainab, 32, in the blaze.

They were trapped on the 14th floor of the 24-storey west London high rise as the fire engulfed the building on 14 June. Police believe at least 80 people were killed in the tragedy, although that number could rise as investigators continue to search through the debris.

Jeremiah's grandfather, Zainu Deen, 51, told the Evening Standard: "Zainab was a good mother and would have done anything she could to keep Jeremiah safe. He was her whole world and they were inseparable.

"He was a playful, innocent young boy whose life never got the chance to start.

"We need answers not just for my family but for all the other little babies who were killed in Grenfell too. If those responsible knew the materials on that tower were unsafe then they gambled with my daughter and grandson's lives, and must pay."

The comments come after Met Police detectives investigating the tragedy said last week there are grounds to suspect corporate manslaughter may have been committed. It publicly named both Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation as suspects, which could face huge fines if found guilty.

Yvette Williams, a coordinator at the Justice 4 Grenfell campaign group, welcomed the news but said she would like to see individuals prosecuted alongside. "We want is individuals named and prosecuted – you can have both, but we don't want corporate manslaughter on its own," she said.

"People implement policy, people make decisions, people took particular actions and those people are responsible. You can't put corporate organisations in the dock, you put individuals."

An inquiry led by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick has also been set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.