Panellist’s organisation had received tens of thousands of pounds from cladding firm
The media have reported this weekend that controversial panellist Benita Mehra was stepping down from the Grenfell inquiry after it was revealed that an organisation she ran had received over £70,000 from Arconic, the firm that installed the cladding.
Activists had been outraged by Boris Johnson’s appointment of Mehra to a panel advising the inquiry as it prepared to examine “decisions which led to the installation of a highly combustible cladding system”.
However, none of the media appear to have covered – except in vague terms of ‘increasing pressure’ on Johnson – a key factor in Johnson’s decision to announce Mehra’s resignation from the panel.
Last week, the Unite union published a press release demanding Mehra’s withdrawal – but the SKWAWKBOX can reveal that the union had threatened a judicial review of her participation if she did not step down.
Unite’s role has been conveniently ignored in coverage of the resignation by media that routinely publish information they hope will be damaging to unions – but the reality is that the UK and Ireland’s biggest union stood squarely by the Grenfell bereaved families and survivors in forcing Johnson to climb down.
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