Damning Grenfell report lays bare ‘path to disaster’ that killed 72 people

The Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people and left hundreds homeless was due to ‘dishonesty and incompetence’ from companies and local authorities.

The report has outlined and identified ‘serious deficiencies’ which allowed the fire to spread the way it did on June 14, 2017, saying all 72 deaths were ‘avoidable’.

The 24-storey tower block was covered in combustible products firefighters likened to petrol because of ‘systematic dishonesty’ from firms.

Almost every organisation involved in the construction and refurbishment of the building was found to be party responsible for the deadly blaze and the 24-storey tower block.

Residents were ‘badly failed’ by authorities and the construction industry through incompetence, dishonesty and greed, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.

The fire was ‘the culmination of decades of failure’ by central government and the construction industry to properly consider the danger of combustible materials in high-rise residential buildings.

Families of the victims say the conclusions must prompt widescale change as they have fought for justice for the last seven years.

What started as a kitchen fire in the early hours of June 14, 2017, rapidly spread throughout the entire block and engulfed it in flames within three hours.

Arconic was one of the main firms found to be at fault. with the Inquiry finding the company was ‘determined to exploit what is saw as weak regulation in the UK’.

The report found the construction company which made sold cladding panels with a polyethylene core were aware the material was ‘extremely dangerous’.

Manufacturer Celotex which supplied the majority of the insultation boards was also found to have been ‘dishonest’.

The Inquiry found they had manipulated testing on the material.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called for the Government to go further than the recommendations in the Grenfell Tower report, ensuring deregulation is ‘comprehensively reversed’.

General secretary Matt Wrack said: ‘The FBU has always argued that the fire was the result of decades of failure by central government to regulate the building industry – the prioritisation of private profit over human life.

‘This report completely vindicates that position, demonstrating beyond doubt that an agenda of deregulation cost lives.

‘Construction companies gamed the system to maximise their profits. A system of semi-privatised building control put commercial interests ahead of regulatory duties.

‘Firefighters and fire control staff were put in an impossible position, forced to respond to a fire in a high rise building effectively wrapped in petrol. Again and again, residents and firefighters warned of the dangers of combustible cladding but were ignored.’

Grenfell United said the report was a ‘significant chapter’ but ‘justice has not been delivered’.

They added police and prosecutors must now ‘ensure that those who are truly responsible are held to account and brought to justice’.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the report from Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s Grenfell Tower inquiry identified ‘substantial and widespread failings’.

He said: ‘My thoughts today are wholly with those bereaved by, and survivors of, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the residents in the immediate community. This day is for them.

‘I hope that Sir Martin’s report can provide the truth they have sought for so long, and that it is step towards the accountability and justice they deserve.’

A report published in 2019, following the first phase of the inquiry, concluded the ‘principal’ reason for the ‘profoundly shocking’ spread of the fire was due to the tower’s cladding which didn’t comply with building regulations.

Families wait for justice ‘unbearable’

Decisions on potential criminal prosecutions over the Grenfell Tower fire are not expected for another two years, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division, said: ‘We have been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service throughout their investigation and will therefore be in a strong position to review the completed evidential file, which they anticipate will be passed to us in 2026.

‘Due to the sheer volume of evidence and complexity of the investigation, we will need to take the necessary time to thoroughly evaluate the evidence before providing final charging decisions.’

Bereaved and survivors have described that wait as ‘unbearable’.

Metropolitan Police officers leading the criminal probe into the Grenfell Tower fire have ‘one chance to get our investigation right’, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said.

He warned it would take up to 18 months to go through the Inquiry report ‘line by line’.

Police and prosecutors said earlier this year the huge investigation into the fire has already generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements.

A total of 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences, and more than 300 hours of interviews have taken place.

Potential offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, health and safety offences, fraud and offences under the fire safety and building regulations.

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