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Dany Cotton, head of the London Fire Brigade, told the Grenfell Tower Inquiry today that as soon as she arrived at the fire she knew that “there was going to be loss of life that night.” But, to the fury of survivors watching on, she insisted that she, “would not change anything we did on…
20-year-old Rico Finlayson was out for the evening when he was set upon by a gang of men wielding knives. One of the attackers even told him he wasn’t the man they set out to target – but they tried to kill him anyway. Now Ricoh and his father, Justin, are working to encourage young people to turn away from violence.
He’s the figurehead of the new jazz revival in the US. Kamasi Washington was brought up in South Central Los Angeles, a place better known for producing gangster rap than saxophone players.
23 year old medical student Leanne Armitage set up an outreach programme to tell pupils in inner city London – whatever their background – they too can become doctors. She joins Jackie Long in the studio to discuss diversity in the medical profession.
It’s been another emotional day at the Grenfell Inquiry as the firefighter who was first to enter the flat where the blaze began gives his testimony. Charles Batterbee crawled into the smoke-filled room to tackle the fire, then radioed colleagues to say “we had done our job”. Today he spoke of his shock at realising…
On Friday Ireland will decide whether to scrap its almost-total ban on abortion. Vocal proponents for and against reforming the constitution have powered a referendum campaign that has become increasingly bitter, but with a significant proportion of the electorate thought to have made up their minds. Our Social Affairs Editor Jackie Long is joined in…
Security has all but collapsed. Millions are in desperate need of aid and there are constant outbreaks of fighting as the President tries to cling to power. This is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where countless children are caught up in this cycle of political turmoil and violence. Jackie Long has travelled across Kasai, from…
When Sadiq Khan was candidate for London Mayor in 2016, he made a promise to get tough on violent crime, particularly knife crime. Jackie Long spoke to the Mayor earlier and started by asking him if he had failed to deliver his promise.
It is six months since the Grenfell Tower tragedy and hundreds of children from the area are still struggling to get back to normal. One local youth project lost two of its members in the devastating blaze – and their friends are learning to cope with the grief and trauma. Our Social Affairs Editor Jackie…
The Italian parents of one of the victims of the Grenfell fire have thanked the British people for the support they received in the aftermath of the disaster. Loris Trevisan and Emanuela Disaro’s daughter Gloria died with her boyfriend on the 23rd floor. Her mother recorded the final telephone conversation they shared. They’ve been in London to give evidence to the…
Jackie Long
Not just a forensic, brilliant mind – plenty of journalists have that – but it was coupled with a genuine interest in hearing people’s stories, and most often people who were considered unimportant.
The Grenfell tragedy is on a scale not seen for decades in the United Kingdom. It has exposed acute divisions in society, dangerous weaknesses in social housing, planning, and fire regulations, and a gaping lack of trust between some of the most vulnerable and the authorities charged with looking after them.
A terminally-ill man suffering from motor neurone disease has begun a high court challenge against the ban on assisted dying. Noel Conway says he feels “entombed” by the disease and wants a doctor to be able to help him bring about a “peaceful and dignified” death at a time of his choosing. Jackie Long has…
A vigil will be held tonight to mark a month since flames tore through the Grenfell Tower. Today the coroner for Westminster revealed that 34 of the people who died in the disaster have been identified. But for many relatives, there is still an agonising search for answers. Jackie Long has been speaking to one…
One woman who was there at the Grenfell Tower fire from the early hours was London Fire Brigade’s new Commissioner Dany Cotton. In an exclusive interview a month on from the disaster, Commissioner Cotton tells Jackie Long she had “sufficient resources” and that the brigade’s “stay put policy” is usually the best one.