Families of Liam Curry and Chloe Rutherford still awaiting acknowledgement from Prime Minister

South Tyneside sweethearts Chloe Rutherford, 17 and Liam Curry, 19 were among the 23 people who died when a terrorist struck at the end of the Ariana Grande concert in May.

Four months on from the night which devastated their families, they are still waiting to hear from the Prime Minister.

Letters have been sent to Mrs May - including one from the grandmother of Liam Curry - but they have yet to receive a response.

Theresa May says she has met a number of people who have been direct victims of the attack but none from the families of those killed. 
She said the reason why was that she felt it was “important” to allow people to have “private time to grieve.”

Speaking to ITV Tyne Tees she said: “I have met a number of people who have been direct victims of the attack, who were at the attack.

“I haven’t met anybody who was from a family where anybody died.

“At the time, I felt it was important to allow people to have some private time to grieve.”

She added: “It isn’t the case that we have made no effort to have contact with people affected by the Manchester bombing.

“This was a terrible attack. I think as Prime Minister, the first concern that I had, and must have, is ensuring that our police and security services were able to investigate this.”

Others killed in the attack from the North East included Hartlepool born Jane Tweddle-Taylor, 51; and Philip Tron, 32, and his partner’s daughter Courtney Boyle, 19, from Gateshead.

Last month, South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck quizzed Mrs May in Parliament during Prime Minister’s Question Time, over a letter send by one of the families.

In response, the Prime Minister said she was unaware of the letter and could only apologise for there being no response.

She said she would look into the issue immediately.

A scanned copy of the original letter was sent to the Prime Minister’s office on September 13.

As yet, there has still been no response.

Mrs Lewell-Buck said: “The lack of response from the Prime Minister is totally unacceptable. Her public statements acknowledging the families’ loss are clearly just rhetoric as they are not matched by her actions.

“That she and Number 10 initially denied having the letter and, after resending it some time ago, have still not responded, shows what chaos the Government is in.”

A spokesman for Downing Street said it had nothing to add to the Prime Minister’s televised interview.