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The Tory leader of Kensington and Chelsea council scrapped a cabinet meeting about the Grenfell Tower fire today after just two minutes, after being told he had to allow it to be open to the press.

Leader Nicholas Paget-Brown claimed he had been given legal advice that the presence of reporters could "prejudice" a forthcoming public inquiry.

Labour called for Paget-Brown's resignation after the meeting descended in to a "fiasco".

The council originally said the meeting would be closed to the press and public, provoking widespread outrage that locals were being kept in the dark.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

But an 11th hour ruling by a High Court judge forced the council to allow members of the media into the meeting.

Paget-Brown was furiously confronted by opposition councillor Robert Atkinson who stood up to demand the cabinet's resignation.

Journalists had initially been barred from the meeting until an order from the High Court permitted them entry.

Mr Paget-Brown had already begun a statement on the authority's response to the crisis when reporters arrived.

After giving a short update, he announced to the room: "Given the public inquiry, we want to ensure our meetings do not descend into informal inquiries without all the facts to hand.

"As you will be aware this is a private meeting of the cabinet, to which other Kensington and Chelsea councillors have been invited."

(Image: PA)

Mr Atkinson intervened: "Why are press here, then?"

Representatives of the press have a legal right to attend public meetings of local authorities.

Mr Paget-Brown continued: "I have agreed the meeting be held in private, given the subject under discussion and the recent real threats of assault on council staff and damage to buildings.

"I am advised that, if there are others present, we cannot have an open discussion."

Mr Paget-Brown continued: "We can't have an open discussion."

"You can't even organise a cabinet meeting," Mr Atkinson interjected, angrily.

The council leader said: "We can't have an unprejudiced discussion in this room with the public inquiry that is about to take place, if journalists are recording and writing our comments.

"I'm told the press are here as a result of legal intervention, that therefore means we cannot have a discussion as we were intending to have as that would prejudice the public inquiry.

"That is the advice I have received and therefore I have to declare the meeting closed."

As cabinet members filed out of the room, Mr Atkinson - who represents the Notting Dale ward, in which Grenfell Tower is based - admonished them.

He said: "What you have done is used this as opportunity for you to make a statement and nobody else gets to say anything at all.

"You could have issued that statement, in fact you should have issued that statement, eight days ago.

"An absolute fiasco, this is why I am calling for your resignation."