David Lammy has argued the real number of people killed in the Grenfell Tower catastrophe may have been covered up to prevent riots.

The official figure of those who are either confirmed dead or missing and presumed dead remains at 79 but is expected to increase further. Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy has said he hoped the final death toll “does not reach treble figures”.

The Labour MP for Tottenham, whose “dear friend” Khadija Saye died in the fire, said that he was "sympathetic" to the theory that figures of fatalities were being concealed.

"What people say is that if you put the numbers out early, there could be civil unrest. That's what they say," he told BBC Two's Newsnight.

He added: "I am sympathetic to it, I am going to walk alongside those people."

Pressed about whether he thought the true figures of the dead had not been released due to fear of civil unrest, Mr Lammy said: "The truth is the media cycle is now beginning to move on to other things, that's the truth.

"And so what people say is that in two, three weeks' time, if you start to reveal the numbers, things have moved on."

Grenfell tower fire Show all 42 1 /42 Grenfell tower fire Grenfell tower fire Local residents watch as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire Getty Images Grenfell tower fire London Fire Brigade said there has been a number of fatalities from the blaze Rex Features Grenfell tower fire The fire was first reported in the early hours of Wednesday and continued into the morning Rex Features Grenfell tower fire A local resident sees the fire over the rooftops @Ebajgora Grenfell tower fire A firefighter reacts at the scene of the blaze Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Residents watch as the blaze continues Getty Images Grenfell tower fire More than 200 firefighters have been fighting the blaze PA Grenfell tower fire London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared the fire a major incident Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Police and fire services attempted to evacuate the concrete block of flats Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A woman runs to assist paramedics working at the fire at the Grenfell Tower Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London in the early hours of Wednesday morning Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Fire fighters tackle the 24-storey building in West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Ambulances are stationed nearby Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Paramedics arrive with oxygen Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Emergency services believe it will take some time to establish the cause of the fire Grenfell tower fire Tens of people have been taken to five different hospitals across London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A man comforts a boy after the tower block was severely damaged Reuters Grenfell tower fire Firefighters stand amid debris in a childrens playground nearby Reuters Grenfell tower fire Firefighters are stationed at the building Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke engulfs Grenfell tower Rex Features Grenfell tower fire Lots of people donating water, food and clothing to St Clement's church for the residents of Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Samuel Osborne Grenfell tower fire A man speaks to a fire fighter after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters are working to put out the blaze. Residents in the tower were evacuated and a number of people were treated for a range of injuries EPA Grenfell tower fire A resident of Grenfell Tower is trapped as smoke billows from the window after a fire engulfed the building Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Members of the emergency services work at the scene of a huge blaze which engulfed Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in Latimer Road Getty Images Grenfell tower fire According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters are working to put out the blaze EPA Grenfell tower fire Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire The burnt facade of Grenfell Tower, the night after the fire in Latimer Road, West London REUTERS/Neil Hall Grenfell tower fire Local residents gather at a community centre near Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road REUTERS/Toby Melville Grenfell tower fire A resident in a nearby building watches smoke rise from Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London AP Grenfell tower fire Police and rescue services operate near the fire at Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in Latimer Road EPA Grenfell tower fire A man stands amid debris on the A40 after a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London REUTERS/Toby Melville Grenfell tower fire A view of the empty A40 highway after it was closed in both directions, due to the proximity of the fire at Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road EPA Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Bodies are removed from the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Rick Findler/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire Bodies are removed from the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Rick Findler/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire Provisions on tables at the Westway Sports Centre close to the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Jack Hardy/PA Grenfell tower fire Beds are laid out in the Westway Sports Centre close to the scene after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London Jack Hardy/PA Wire Grenfell tower fire A pile of donated clothes, sleeping bags and water lie next to a police cordon near the burning the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Signs asking for donations are seen outside the Notting Hill methodist Chruch Getty Images Grenfell tower fire Smoke rises from the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images Grenfell tower fire A man is rescued by fire fighters after a huge fire engulfed the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty

Mr Lammy noted that people on the ground were saying the fire claimed more lives than the official figures were showing. He argued it was imperative the public and the authorities listened to the personal accounts of people from and around Grenfell Tower.

He said: "In one flat alone, people say there were up to 40 people gathering because they gathered in the flat, it was Ramadan”.

He added: "I am being honest about what people have said to me. I was not standing outside of Grenfell Tower watching my neighbours jump and burn to death but I’ve heard those people and we should validate what they’re saying, they’re not making it up”.

Questions have been asked about why the authorities took several days to announce the current official death toll of 79 but the severity of the damage wreaked by the blaze has restricted the emergency services’ efforts to discover and identify victims.

The Met Police protocol laid out in its “major incident procedure” manual says: “There should be no speculation on fatality figures and the police should only confirm the number of dead after they have a true and accurate picture.”

Constructed in 1974, the tower is thought to have contained 120 flats and have been home to between 400 and 600 people. However, undocumented migrants and visiting partners, friends, and relatives are not included in this figure.

The emergency services has not revealed how many people were found safe after the fire.

Mr Lammy, who has been a consistently critical and outspoken voice in the wake of the inferno, said we “cannot presume” that the authorities are collating lists of those who are unaccounted for.

The politician said: “This is the sixth richest economy in the world, if we have not assembled a list of the landlords in the building then what the hell are we capable of doing, where is the register.”

Mr Lammy’s comments come as residents penned a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May demanding the Grenfell Tower disaster investigation leaves “no stone unturned” and “justice is served for everyone on the estate”.

The letter said: "It must identify each and every individual and organisation who must bear responsibility and accountability for this tragedy and the mishandling of the aftermath. There must be swift recommendations to ensure there can be no chance of a repeat of this disaster elsewhere.”

Mr Lammy previously warned a cover-up could plague the fire and issued a plea for Ms May to immediately seize all pertinent documents in the wake of the fire which destroyed the 24-storey tower almost two weeks ago.

The politician, who previously labelled the blaze “corporate manslaughter” and called for arrests to be made over the disaster, insisted the Prime Minister needed to take immediate action to ensure everyone culpable for the events at Grenfell Tower is held to account and subject to the full burden of the law.