Grenfell Tower survivors have finally been given a one-year immigration amnesty

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have been offered a temporary immigration amnesty if they come forward to the Home Office, the UK government announced on 5 July.

Immigration minister Brandon Lewis, speaking in the House of Commons, told MPs that the migrants will have leave to remain in Britain for up to 12 months.

The decision comes after pressure from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and is designed to encourage more people to come forward after the blaze left at least 80 people dead and many others homeless.

"This period of leave will provide survivors with the time to deal with the extremely difficult circumstances in which they find themselves and start to rebuild their lives whilst considering their future options, as well as to assist the police and other authorities with their enquiries about the fire," Lewis said.

The government has also established a £5m (€5.7m) fund, with £5,000 of cash being distributed by the Department for Work and Pensions and going into survivors' bank accounts. But Abbott, who called for the amnesty on Monday (3 July), said the government's latest move did not go far enough.

"I raised this question in parliament on Monday and am pleased there has been some response from the Home Office. But the partial amnesty is limited to 12 months, which does not go far enough." she said.

"Some victims have literally lost everything in this horrific tragedy: all their possessions, homes and loved ones. The idea that on top of this they could be deported later is grotesque.

"To access all the support they need without fear of deportation, any survivors concerned about their status must be given indefinite leave to remain. Otherwise, they may just disappear off the grid."

The comments came just hours after the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced that an independent recovery taskforce was installed in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the local authority in charge of Grenfell Tower. The team is designed to deal with the longer term recovery of the disaster.

"The scale of the recovery effort needed on the Lancaster West estate in the months to come cannot be underestimated. Support to survivors, the families and friends of those who lost their lives and residents in the wider community must and will be ongoing. The challenge of providing that support is and will continue to be significant. I want to help the council meet that challenge.

"The immediate response to the disaster is being coordinated by the Grenfell Response Team, headed up by John Barradell. He is ably supported by a number of colleagues drawn from London Councils, the wider local government sector including the RBKC, the voluntary sector, Police, Health and Fire services as well as central government. Their expertise and hard work is making a huge difference. "

Elsewhere, an independent inquiry 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," Moore-Bick 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."