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Jacob Rees Mogg has said he is “profoundly” sorry after he claimed it would have been common sense for Grenfell Tower residents to ignore firefighters’ advice about staying in the burning building.

The Leader of the Commons sparked fury over his remarks in a radio interview yesterday, with relatives of victims of the 2017 disaster demanding he apologise.

Mr Rees Mogg was discussing London Fire Brigade’s ‘stay put’ policy on LBC with host Nick Ferrari, which a public inquiry has found could have cost lives.

He said: “The more one’s read over the weekend about the report and about the chances of people surviving, if you just ignore what you’re told and leave you are so much safer.

“And I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. It just seems the common sense thing to do. And it is such a tragedy that that didn’t happen.”

Speaking to the Standard this morning, Mr Rees-Mogg said he had not intended to suggest victims were to blame.

Mr Rees Mogg said: “I profoundly apologise.

“What I meant to say is that I would have also listened to the fire brigade’s advice to stay and wait at the time. However, with what we know now and with hindsight I wouldn’t and I don’t think anyone else would.

“What’s so sad is that the advice given overrides common sense because everybody would want to leave a burning building.

“I would hate to upset the people of Grenfell if I was unclear in my comments. With hindsight and after reading the report no one would follow that advice. That’s the great tragedy.”

Justice4Grenfell chair Yvette Williams had earlier labelled Mr Rees Mogg’s radio comments as “appalling”.

She said: “Rees-Mogg has a privileged background, what is his experience of living in social housing? How many tower blocks has he lived in?

“To suggest that those who followed 'his' party's instructions were not using 'common sense' is an absolute insult.”

Ahmed Chellat, 62, lost five members of his family in the 2017 fire.

He told the Mirror: “He has got to apologise. Who is going to challenge this man over saying this? What common sense is he talking about?

“People died on the stairs trying to leave, they couldn’t breathe. People needed help and directions, they tried to open doors and there was smoke everywhere. What is he (Mr Rees-Mogg) talking about?”

Seventy-two people died in the disaster.

The public inquiry’s report was published last week. It found that many lives would likely have been saved if Grenfell Tower was evacuated sooner, but such was the faith in the "stay-put" policy that abandoning it was "unthinkable".

A decision to evacuate should have taken place within a 20-minute window once it was clear that the fire had spread out of control and that compartmentation had extensively failed, Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.

Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures 37 show all Notting Hill Grenfell Tower Fire - In pictures 1/37 A blaze rages through Grenfell Tower block in Notting Hill Jeremy Selwyn 2/37 Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes 3/37 Jeremy Selwyn 4/37 Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes 5/37 Jeremy Selwyn 6/37 A firefighter investigates a floor after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA 7/37 Exhausted firefighter rest on steps of houses after ours of tackling the blaze Alex Lentati 8/37 Jeremy Selwyn 9/37 10/37 Residents wave frantically at a window during the blaze Nigel Howard 11/37 Emergency personnel operate during the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 27-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA 12/37 A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene of a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London Reuters 13/37 Debris and ash surrounding Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer road Jeremy Selwyn 14/37 A fleet of ambulances at the scene ready to deal with the injured AFP/Getty Images 15/37 A firefighter rests during the battle against the blaze at Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn 16/37 Firefighters prepare to enter the building to tackle the flames EPA 17/37 Nigel Howard 18/37 Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London PA 19/37 Flames engulf the tower block in Notting Hill AFP/Getty Images 20/37 This shocking image shows flames engulfing the 27 storey tower Jeremy Selwyn 21/37 Police and Emergency services at the scene of a major fire in Notting Hill after a block of flats Grenfell Tower is engulfed in flames Nigel Howard 22/37 A person peers out of a window from the building on fire in London AP 23/37 Firefighters react as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower AFP/Getty Images 24/37 Smoke rises from the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA 25/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati 26/37 Aw omen react followign the blaze at Grenfell Tower Alex Lentati 27/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Jeremy Selwyn 28/37 A water jet douses the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block seen through a fence in North Kensington EPA 29/37 Young children wear protective face masks near the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 30/37 Two men hug within the security cordon as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire AFP/Getty Images 31/37 A man (circled) looks from a window as smoke pours from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower PA 32/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati 33/37 Firefighters on the scene at Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road early this morning Alex Lentati 34/37 A view of debris from the Grenfell Tower fire covering a football pitch EPA 35/37 Aerial view of the closed of Westway follwing a the fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer Road. Jeremy Selwyn 36/37 Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 37/37 A local resident is carried to receive some medical aid at a community centre close to a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA 1/37 A blaze rages through Grenfell Tower block in Notting Hill Jeremy Selwyn 2/37 Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes 3/37 Jeremy Selwyn 4/37 Aerial view of the fire at Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill Jason Hawkes 5/37 Jeremy Selwyn 6/37 A firefighter investigates a floor after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA 7/37 Exhausted firefighter rest on steps of houses after ours of tackling the blaze Alex Lentati 8/37 Jeremy Selwyn 9/37 10/37 Residents wave frantically at a window during the blaze Nigel Howard 11/37 Emergency personnel operate during the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 27-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA 12/37 A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene of a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London Reuters 13/37 Debris and ash surrounding Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer road Jeremy Selwyn 14/37 A fleet of ambulances at the scene ready to deal with the injured AFP/Getty Images 15/37 A firefighter rests during the battle against the blaze at Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn 16/37 Firefighters prepare to enter the building to tackle the flames EPA 17/37 Nigel Howard 18/37 Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London PA 19/37 Flames engulf the tower block in Notting Hill AFP/Getty Images 20/37 This shocking image shows flames engulfing the 27 storey tower Jeremy Selwyn 21/37 Police and Emergency services at the scene of a major fire in Notting Hill after a block of flats Grenfell Tower is engulfed in flames Nigel Howard 22/37 A person peers out of a window from the building on fire in London AP 23/37 Firefighters react as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower AFP/Getty Images 24/37 Smoke rises from the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block in North Kensington, London EPA 25/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati 26/37 Aw omen react followign the blaze at Grenfell Tower Alex Lentati 27/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Jeremy Selwyn 28/37 A water jet douses the fire at the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment block seen through a fence in North Kensington EPA 29/37 Young children wear protective face masks near the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 30/37 Two men hug within the security cordon as Grenfell Tower is engulfed by fire AFP/Getty Images 31/37 A man (circled) looks from a window as smoke pours from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower PA 32/37 Smoke billows across the London skyline follwing a fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate Alex Lentati 33/37 Firefighters on the scene at Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road early this morning Alex Lentati 34/37 A view of debris from the Grenfell Tower fire covering a football pitch EPA 35/37 Aerial view of the closed of Westway follwing a the fire at Grenfell Tower in the West Lancaster estate, Latimer Road. Jeremy Selwyn 36/37 Fire fighters tackle the building after a huge fire engulfed the 24 story Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 37/37 A local resident is carried to receive some medical aid at a community centre close to a fire that has engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower PA

In his report into the night of the fire he said this was, or should have been, "reasonably obvious" to the London Fire Brigade by 1.30am at the earliest and by 1.50am at the latest.

He said the brigade's preparation for an incident such an incident was "gravely inadequate", and the absence of a plan to evacuate the tower was a "major omission".

Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton expressed her “deepest sorrow” at not being able to save all those who died” in the blaze.