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Theresa May today revealed she will “always regret” that she failed to meet survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy on the day after the disaster.

In a deeply personal article ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy, the Prime Minister gave an effective apology to residents who escaped the blaze, saying her own actions were “not good enough”.

Writing in the Evening Standard, she confessed that she contributed, unwittingly, to the feeling among many victims that she and other people in power “didn’t care” about their plight.

“It was a tragedy unparalleled in recent history and, although many people did incredible work during and after the fire, it has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough,” she said.

“I include myself in that.

“The day after the disaster I made the first of a number of trips to the site, thanking the firefighters for their work and holding a short meeting with the team in charge of the response.

“What I did not do on that first visit, was meet the residents and survivors who had escaped the blaze.

“But the residents of Grenfell Tower needed to know that those in power recognised and understood their despair.

“And I will always regret that by not meeting them that day, it seemed as though I didn’t care.”

Mrs May, who is known to have cried when she saw the scale of the fire, added: “That was never the case.”

Her words aim to bring people together for this week’s memorial services to the victims of the inferno that cost 72 lives. Events close to the scene will include a vigil, prayers, wreaths and candles.

The tower, sheathed in white material, will be illuminated along with 12 nearby blocks, creating a memorial visible across London.

Victims of the Grenfell Tower fire 59 show all Victims of the Grenfell Tower fire 1/59 Final death toll: Just some of the victims who were killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze PA 2/59 Final death toll: Just some of the victims who were killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze 3/59 Five-year-old Isaac Paulos Family Handout 4/59 Logan Gomes, who was stillborn after his family escaped from the 21st floor of the Grenfell Tower AP 5/59 Victoria King, 71, and her 40-year-old daughter Alexandra Atala were among those who died in the blaze PA 6/59 A photograph of Mohamed Amied Neda as his family were forced to hold a second funeral PA 7/59 Mary Mendy 8/59 Maria Del Pilar Burton, who was rescued from the 19th floor of Grenfell Tower, has died seven months on from the blaze 9/59 Alexandra Atala, 40, the last victim to be named and pictured from the Grenfell fire Metropolitan Police 10/59 Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi 11/59 Rania Ibrahim, Fethia Hassan and Hania Hassan PA 12/59 Raymond Bernard 13/59 Bassem Choucair and Nadia Choucair PA 14/59 Sirria Choucair PA 15/59 Mierna Choucair PA 16/59 Fatima Choucair died along with five other relatives PA 17/59 Mariem Elgwahry AP 18/59 Hashim Kedir, wife Nura and children Yahya, 13, left, Firdaws, 11, and Yaqub, six. 19/59 Mehdi El-Wahabi, 8, lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower Met Police 20/59 Ligaya Moore, 79, a Filipino living in the tower Met Police 21/59 Artist Khadija Saye PA 22/59 Victim: 12-year-old Jessica Urbano Ramirez was killed in the fire 23/59 Victim: Farah Hamdan, 31, pictured with her baby daughter 24/59 Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, and his three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin PA 25/59 Berkti Haftom, 29 and Biruk Haftom, 12 Metropolitan Police 26/59 Victim: Sakina Afrasehabi, 65, died in the Grenfell Tower fire PA 27/59 Fatima Afraseiabi 28/59 'Well respected': Grandmother-of-six Sheila Smith was killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze Met Police 29/59 Hamid Kani was found on the 23rd floor PA 30/59 Steve Power 31/59 Mohammed Al-Haj Ali Syrian Solidarity Campaign 32/59 Denis Murphy PA 33/59 Young victim: Jeremiah Deen, two, died in the blaze Met Police 34/59 Zainab Deen 35/59 Anthony Disson 36/59 Ali Yawar Jafari PA 37/59 Nora Huda 38/59 Kedir Hashim: His wife and their three children died 39/59 Hesham Rahman PA 40/59 Gary Maunders PA 41/59 Ernie Vital and his mother Marjorie PA 42/59 Amal Ahmedin and Amaya PA 43/59 Amna Mahmud Idris PA 44/59 Kamru Miah, 79, who died in the Grenfell Tower fire PA 45/59 Rabeya Begum PA 46/59 Mohammed Hamid, 27, died in the fire PA 47/59 Mohammed Hanif PA 48/59 Husna Begum PA 49/59 Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi PA 50/59 Vincent Chiejina PA 51/59 Abdulaziz El-Wahabi PA 52/59 Faouzia El-Wahabi, 41 PA 53/59 Yasin El-Wahabi, 20 PA 54/59 Nur Huda El-Wahabi, 16, PA 55/59 Mehdi El-Wahabi, 8, lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower Met Police 56/59 Khadija Khaloufi PA 57/59 Omar Belkadi, 32, and Farah Hamdan, 31 PA 58/59 Deborah Lamprell 59/59 Mohammed Al-Haj Ali PA 1/59 Final death toll: Just some of the victims who were killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze PA 2/59 Final death toll: Just some of the victims who were killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze 3/59 Five-year-old Isaac Paulos Family Handout 4/59 Logan Gomes, who was stillborn after his family escaped from the 21st floor of the Grenfell Tower AP 5/59 Victoria King, 71, and her 40-year-old daughter Alexandra Atala were among those who died in the blaze PA 6/59 A photograph of Mohamed Amied Neda as his family were forced to hold a second funeral PA 7/59 Mary Mendy 8/59 Maria Del Pilar Burton, who was rescued from the 19th floor of Grenfell Tower, has died seven months on from the blaze 9/59 Alexandra Atala, 40, the last victim to be named and pictured from the Grenfell fire Metropolitan Police 10/59 Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi 11/59 Rania Ibrahim, Fethia Hassan and Hania Hassan PA 12/59 Raymond Bernard 13/59 Bassem Choucair and Nadia Choucair PA 14/59 Sirria Choucair PA 15/59 Mierna Choucair PA 16/59 Fatima Choucair died along with five other relatives PA 17/59 Mariem Elgwahry AP 18/59 Hashim Kedir, wife Nura and children Yahya, 13, left, Firdaws, 11, and Yaqub, six. 19/59 Mehdi El-Wahabi, 8, lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower Met Police 20/59 Ligaya Moore, 79, a Filipino living in the tower Met Police 21/59 Artist Khadija Saye PA 22/59 Victim: 12-year-old Jessica Urbano Ramirez was killed in the fire 23/59 Victim: Farah Hamdan, 31, pictured with her baby daughter 24/59 Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, and his three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin PA 25/59 Berkti Haftom, 29 and Biruk Haftom, 12 Metropolitan Police 26/59 Victim: Sakina Afrasehabi, 65, died in the Grenfell Tower fire PA 27/59 Fatima Afraseiabi 28/59 'Well respected': Grandmother-of-six Sheila Smith was killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze Met Police 29/59 Hamid Kani was found on the 23rd floor PA 30/59 Steve Power 31/59 Mohammed Al-Haj Ali Syrian Solidarity Campaign 32/59 Denis Murphy PA 33/59 Young victim: Jeremiah Deen, two, died in the blaze Met Police 34/59 Zainab Deen 35/59 Anthony Disson 36/59 Ali Yawar Jafari PA 37/59 Nora Huda 38/59 Kedir Hashim: His wife and their three children died 39/59 Hesham Rahman PA 40/59 Gary Maunders PA 41/59 Ernie Vital and his mother Marjorie PA 42/59 Amal Ahmedin and Amaya PA 43/59 Amna Mahmud Idris PA 44/59 Kamru Miah, 79, who died in the Grenfell Tower fire PA 45/59 Rabeya Begum PA 46/59 Mohammed Hamid, 27, died in the fire PA 47/59 Mohammed Hanif PA 48/59 Husna Begum PA 49/59 Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi PA 50/59 Vincent Chiejina PA 51/59 Abdulaziz El-Wahabi PA 52/59 Faouzia El-Wahabi, 41 PA 53/59 Yasin El-Wahabi, 20 PA 54/59 Nur Huda El-Wahabi, 16, PA 55/59 Mehdi El-Wahabi, 8, lived on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower Met Police 56/59 Khadija Khaloufi PA 57/59 Omar Belkadi, 32, and Farah Hamdan, 31 PA 58/59 Deborah Lamprell 59/59 Mohammed Al-Haj Ali PA

Mrs May gave a pledge that everything possible will be done to look after the survivors and other victims - and no stone will be left unturned in the search for why it happened and who was to blame.

Her first visit to the scene of the inferno was a public relations disaster, despite her swift decision to call a public inquiry.

She met police and firefighters dealing with the still-smouldering tower in west London, but was kept away from members of the public whose mood had turned angry as the scale of the tragedy sank in.

Community groups were outraged that she did not extend her stay to listen to survivors who had lost everything.

Video footage later showed the shaken PM being booed as she left by a crowd that shouted “resign” and “stand down”.

Jeremy Corbyn, who arrived later, made a point of meeting victims in public and was photographed hugging a woman holding a poster of a missing 12-year-old girl.

In her article, she said no decision had been taken yet on what to do with the tower and the site, but any decision will be led by former residents and the community.

There could be no “foot-dragging” in the quest for truth and justice, she warned. “Only that way can individuals and organisations found to be at fault be properly held to account for their actions,” she said. “Only that way can justice be done.”

She said she understood the agony of people who had lost all photographs and physical reminders of their loves ones.

“Nothing can ever replace the mementoes of many years spent together,” she said.

Her “overwhelming priorities” in the past year were to give new homes to survivors and deliver justice to the bereaved.

New homes had been found for 198 out of 203 households and more than £46 million spent on the response and recovery effort.

Memorial events this week will see the grieving north Kensington community come together for a 24-hour vigil starting on the eve of Thursday’s anniversary.

At 1.30am, the names of the fire’s victims will be read out at St Clements’ church.

At midday on the anniversary, survivors and the bereaved will gather close to the tower’s base to observe a minute’s silence. A community mosaic is to be unveiled, while wreaths will be laid and candles lit.

The tower is expected to be completely covered by white sheeting, with banners featuring the green Grenfell heart and the words “Grenfell forever in our hearts” emblazoned across the four highest floors.

Following the midday silence, the community are expected to gather at the nearby “Wall of Truth” ahead of a silent march which will set off around 7pm.

In a show of solidarity, 12 tower blocks in the surrounding area will be illuminated in green.

The buildings, plus Grenfell, will be lit up from 00.54am on Thursday - the time the fire is thought to have started - until 5am. For the following four evenings they will be illuminated from dusk until midnight.

The following day, schools across the country are expected to take part in “Green for Grenfell”, a day to “celebrate the spirit of people coming together”.

A memorial garden dedicated to healing, peace and justice for the community devastated by the Grenfell Tower fire has been unveiled at St Clement’s Church.