Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to honour his promise to launch a public inquiry into claims of a Government cover-up over a schoolboy who died from toxic fumes.
For years, Starmer has repeatedly backed calls for a Hillsborough-style inquiry into the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, pledging to 'get to the truth' of the tragedy.
But since coming to power the Prime Minister has been accused of stonewalling the boy's devastated family by failing to deliver on his pledge to help them seek justice.
Little Zane died during flooding after the Thames burst its banks in Chertsey, Surrey, in 2014. It is suspected that lethal hydrogen cyanide gas seeped in from an old military landfill site.
However a coroner's inquest in 2016 blamed Zane's death on carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a petrol pump used to clear floodwater from his home.
For years, Starmer has repeatedly backed calls for a Hillsborough-style inquiry into the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, pledging to 'get to the truth' of the tragedy.
But since coming to power the Prime Minister has been accused of stonewalling the boy's devastated family by failing to deliver on his pledge to help them seek justice.
Little Zane died during flooding after the Thames burst its banks in Chertsey, Surrey, in 2014. It is suspected that lethal hydrogen cyanide gas seeped in from an old military landfill site.
However a coroner's inquest in 2016 blamed Zane's death on carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a petrol pump used to clear floodwater from his home.
Now his parents are ramping up pressure on the Prime Minister and tomorrow [MON] - on what would have been Zane's 18th birthday - they will hand-deliver a special 'birthday card' to Downing Street asking Starmer to honour his promise by granting an Independent Panel Inquiry into the cause of their son's death.
His father, Kye Gbangbola, who was paralysed in the same incident that killed his son, said: 'Now that Sir Keir at last has the power to grant our request, we hope he will stand by his promise.'
He added: 'Really we were hoping that in his first 100 days we would have been granted that inquiry but clearly that has not happened, so this feels like our last ditch attempt.'
Zane's mother, Nicole Lawler, said: 'We just want the truth for our son. We don't want anyone else to have to suffer what we are suffering. The truth must come out.'
Zane's parents will be joined by Ian Murray, the President of the Fire Brigades Union, and together they will be handing the PM a petition signed by more than 118,000 people demanding an inquiry.
The Labour party previously pledged to call an inquiry into Zane's death in its 2019 election manifesto, but that was dropped in the recent election.
In 2020, Starmer told a meeting in the House of Lords that he wanted an inquiry, adding: 'In light of the tragedy the one thing deserved was a full and effective investigation into what happened.
'That didn't happened because at the inquest there wasn't that fearless quest for the truth but a narrow inquiry into the cause of death.'
Documents revealed by The Mail on Sunday showed that hydrogen cyanide had been detected in Zane's home three times - but no carbon monoxide was found.
Despite this, a coroner ruled that the schoolboy was poisoned by carbon monoxide after Spelthorne Borough Council fought for years against requests from Zane's parents for tests.
A Defra spokesman said: 'The case of Zane Gbangbola is tragic, and our thoughts remain with the Gbangbola family.
'Throughout the inquest into his death the Environment Agency and others provided detailed evidence to assist the independent coroner in reaching his conclusions.'
Original article here >>
His father, Kye Gbangbola, who was paralysed in the same incident that killed his son, said: 'Now that Sir Keir at last has the power to grant our request, we hope he will stand by his promise.'
He added: 'Really we were hoping that in his first 100 days we would have been granted that inquiry but clearly that has not happened, so this feels like our last ditch attempt.'
Zane's mother, Nicole Lawler, said: 'We just want the truth for our son. We don't want anyone else to have to suffer what we are suffering. The truth must come out.'
Zane's parents will be joined by Ian Murray, the President of the Fire Brigades Union, and together they will be handing the PM a petition signed by more than 118,000 people demanding an inquiry.
The Labour party previously pledged to call an inquiry into Zane's death in its 2019 election manifesto, but that was dropped in the recent election.
In 2020, Starmer told a meeting in the House of Lords that he wanted an inquiry, adding: 'In light of the tragedy the one thing deserved was a full and effective investigation into what happened.
'That didn't happened because at the inquest there wasn't that fearless quest for the truth but a narrow inquiry into the cause of death.'
Documents revealed by The Mail on Sunday showed that hydrogen cyanide had been detected in Zane's home three times - but no carbon monoxide was found.
Despite this, a coroner ruled that the schoolboy was poisoned by carbon monoxide after Spelthorne Borough Council fought for years against requests from Zane's parents for tests.
A Defra spokesman said: 'The case of Zane Gbangbola is tragic, and our thoughts remain with the Gbangbola family.
'Throughout the inquest into his death the Environment Agency and others provided detailed evidence to assist the independent coroner in reaching his conclusions.'
Original article here >>
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