On the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, the city's former mayor Ken Livingstone has told CGTN that the Conservative government "should be indicted" for "leaving thousands of lives at risk" over the continuing presence of dangerously flammable cladding on tower blocks.

"I don't think there's been any justice for the victims," said Livingstone of the disaster which claimed 72 lives. 

While a public inquiry into the fire is currently suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, left-winger Livingstone wasted no time attaching blame to his political enemy from more than three decades ago: Margaret Thatcher, who as Conservative prime minister abolished his Labour-led Greater London Council in 1986.

"We should have had an investigation on why cladding like that was put up," Livingstone told CGTN. "I suspect that it dates back to the days of Prime Minister Thatcher, because she deregulated a lot of the controls we had over buildings, workers' rights and everything, so it allowed firms to increase their profits and cut safety."

Although Grenfell itself now stands derelict, other blocks still have the cladding implicated in the fire. "Here we are three years on, but still none of the hundreds of other towers that have got this cladding have had it removed," said Livingstone. "I think the government should be indicted, frankly. They're leaving thousands of lives at risk."

Boris Johnson's message to victims

Livingstone's successor as London mayor was Conservative Boris Johnson, who is now prime minister. He marked the anniversary by saying the country was doing everything it could to ensure it could never happen again.

Johnson said: "We can all remember where we were three years ago today when we saw this tragedy unfolding on our screens and across the London skyline.

"As a nation, we are still dealing with the consequences of what happened and working to make sure it never happens again. While those affected by Grenfell are not able to gather in person, all of us in this country are with you in spirit."

He said there were now stricter fire safety laws and the government was working to implement "every recommendation made by the first phase of the public inquiry".

Watch: CGTN Europe's Iolo ap Dafydd's report on events marking the third anniversary of the fire:

Historical lessons

During his two-term tenure as mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, Livingstone often raised the topic of statues – including one bitter fight to include a statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square. That was rejected by Westminster Council and eventually sited in Parliament Square, where it was covered up ahead of protests this weekend.

Early in his mayoralty, Livingstone argued for the removal of certain statues which he regarded as irrelevant – and two decades on, he rejects the notion that they teach historical lessons. "Most people, they look at these statues, they have no idea who these people were," he said. "They were just people who were making a lot of money at the height of the British Empire 200, 300 years ago."

Even so, Livingstone is clear that the UK should explain its colonial history. "Britain helped create the United States of America – it was our colony," he said. "We imported millions of slaves that we kidnapped from Africa. Britain created that environment of racism in America. 

"It wasn't just Britain doing that: France was doing it, Spain, Portugal, this is the legacy of the colonialism of the European empires. We need governments that are prepared to make sure in our schools as kids are growing up, they learn the truth about our past. I've come to the conclusion we're the most violent animal in the history of our planet."