PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
INDEPENDENT PANEL INQUIRY FOR ZANE GBANGBOLA (26 June 2019)

That this House recognises the tragic death of seven year old Zane Gbangbola, who died during the storms and floods in 2014 attributed by the Prime Minister as climate change related; notes that this is an issue of social injustice requiring an Independent Panel Inquiry (IPI) for Zane who died in a house infused with the nerve agent Hydrogen Cyanide detected by Fire Services HAZMAT; understands that the house was adjacent to likely contaminated landfill from which the floodwater flowed necessitating the area being evacuated for weeks, and decontaminations and circumstances reminiscent of Salisbury nerve agent incident; notes that Zane did not have an Article 2 Human Rights compliant Inquest or a Jury and his family were refused Legal Aid having to beg and crowdfund £70,000 for their child's inquest, whilst legal teams for several public authorities and exceptionally the coroner had a legal team and all received funding for the inquest from the public purse; further notes that the coroner ruled that Zane died after inhaling carbon monoxide from a petrol-powered pump hired by his parents to clear water from the basement and no carbon monoxide was detected, as only electric pumps were used; understands that Zane's father suffered paralysis caused by hydrogen cyanide poisoning and the Fire Brigade Union national conference motioned support for an IPI for Zane with full powers to compel disclosure from public authorities, as have the Green Party and PCS Union, and supported by the TUC due to serious issues of public protection from landfill; recognises that the BMJ state 80 per cent of people live within 2km of Landfill and 82,000 people have signed a petition to grant Zane an IPI; and with Zane's parents, Unions, the public, and political parties calls on the Government to establish an IPI so that all evidence can be reviewed by experts in order to establish the cause of Zane's death.

Sponsored by:
Jess Phillips (Labour)