South London grime star Stormzy used last night’s Brit Awards to take a swipe at the Prime Minister over the Government’s handling of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
After winning two top awards, the rapper closed the ceremony with a freestyle rap, asking: “Yo, Theresa May where's that money for Grenfell? What you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?”
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The fire at Grenfell Tower, a residential block in west London, in the early hours of 14 June caused 71 deaths, including one stillbirth, and more than 70 injuries.
Stromzy’s complaints “echoes those of survivors at Grenfell who said they could see reports of large donations in the media, but were getting little support”, says Business Insider. A month after the fire, £20m had been raised but less than £1m used, says the BBC.
Since then, £20.9m of a total £26.5m raised has been used, according to government figures released last month.
In response to Stormzy’s rap, a spokesperson for May said that Grenfell was an “unimaginable tragedy... The public inquiry was set up by the Prime Minister to establish what went so tragically wrong and why people weren’t listened to for so many years.”
Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted his support for Stormzy, aka Michael Omari, calling his performance “powerful”.
The rapper beat Ed Sheeran and Liam Gallagher in the Best British Male Solo Artist category. Stormzy also won the Best British Album award, for his debut Gang Signs & Prayer, again beating Sheeran as well as Dua Lipa, Rag’n’Bone Man and J Hus.
Lipa was the night’s other big winner, claiming the Best British Female and the Breakthrough prizes.
The Brits were the latest awards ceremony to “show support and solidarity with the Time’s Up movement”, says The Guardian, “with artists including Lipa, Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello wearing white rose pins or carrying white roses to protest against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry”.