Angela Rayner has denied being “aggressive” towards bereaved Grenfell families when she told them the tower was to be demolished.
The deputy prime minister has faced severe criticism for her decision, with some campaigners saying it should remain standing as a memorial for the 72 people who died in the 2017 fire.
Rayner, who is also housing secretary, held a private meeting with Grenfell survivors and their families on Wednesday.
The 24-storey building is currently covered in scaffolding with a green heart and the words “forever in our hearts”.
But the government says structural experts say the tower “is significantly damaged” and its condition will worsen over time.
On the BBC this morning, Rayner said there wasn’t a consensus among the Grenfell families about what should happen to the site.
“What I want to try and do is work with the Grenfell community, the bereaved survivors, to make sure we do justice to the fact there is a sacred place, people lost their lives there and make sure there is a lasting memorial on that site,” she said.
“So I felt, weighing up all of the different conversations I had, and the engineering report, that the only way forward was to sensitively make sure we start taking away the tower to ground floor level.”
Presenter Laura Kuenssberg then told her: “Some of those bereaved felt this week when they met you that your behaviour in the meeting was very upsetting.
“One of them told us ‘the government’s ruined relationships with the families in half an hour. It was a car crash’. Another survivor suggested that your were even defensive, even aggressive.”
Rayner replied: “I certainly don’t feel I was aggressive. If anyone felt that way then I would be sincerely upset about that.
“What I tried to do is take a very difficult meeting and explain to people and make sure that those that were bereaved had that information and the survivors had that information before the decision was made public.”
The government has promised the demolition will be carried out “respectfully and carefully”, with no changes before the eighth anniversary on June 14, 2025.
The demolition process is expected to take two years and the Grenfell community will be permitted to choose a design team to create a memorial.
But the Grenfell United campaign group said: “Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones’ gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable.”