UK

Grenfell bereaved demand answers over Theresa May’s decision to call public inquiry ahead of police probe

Exclusive: Grenfell Next of Kin claim former prime minister’s decision ‘had massive consequences on our pursuit of our justice’

Andy Gregory
THE INDEPENDENT

TODAY

Grenfell Tower: Angry families say justice has not been done after damning report

Relatives of Grenfell Tower fire victims have demanded answers over Theresa May’s rapid decision to order the public inquiry, which they now fear has delayed the criminal prosecutions of those responsible.

The day after the blaze that killed 72 people on 14 June 2017 – as the fire was yet to be brought under control and people desperately searched for missing loved ones – the former prime minister ordered a full public inquiry to ensure “this terrible tragedy is properly investigated”.

But with the inquiry’s final report published this month, police have said they must now go through its findings “line by line” – meaning charges are not expected to be brought until the end of 2026, with the prospect of trials not commencing until 2029.

Grenfell United make statement on deadly fire inquiry

Police are said to have told Grenfell survivors they have “never known a public inquiry to be conducted at the same time as a criminal investigation”, and bereaved families now fear the complex “web of blame” heard by the inquiry could make it more difficult to prosecute for manslaughter.

The Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people (Reuters)

The group Grenfell Next of Kin – which includes the immediate relatives of 34 victims – has now written to Baroness May to demand answers over the advice she received before calling the inquiry.

In the letter, seen by The Independent, Kimia Zabihyan, an advocate for the group, wrote: “Your decision only hours after the fire, before you had visited the site even, had massive consequences on our pursuit of our justice.

“It has delayed justice and will essentially make it very difficult if not impossible to bring manslaughter charges... We would like to know what advice you took and if you were aware of the impact that an inquiry going before criminal prosecutions would have on our right to justice?”

Warning that assurances given days after the fire by ministers Alok Sharma and Nick Hurd that the inquiry “would not delay the conclusion” of the police probe have turned out not to be true, Ms Zabihyan asked: “Can you please tell us what advice you and your cabinet had and from whom?”

While London mayor Sadiq Khan had been among those demanding a full inquiry prior to Baroness May announcing it, MP David Lammy – whose friend Khadija Saye died at Grenfell – had already called the fire “corporate manslaughter” and called for arrests.

Seven years later, Ms Zabihyan warned the “web of blame” heard by the inquiry – a term lead counsel Richard Millett KC used to illustrate the magnitude of claims and counterclaims made by cladding firms, developers, the council, and government itself – has almost done “the defence’s job for them”.

“By putting the inquiry first, they gave the organisations and individuals the opportunity to defend themselves – not before a court and judge and jury that could then decide the causation of the deaths – but before a sort of mock court, if you like,” Ms Zabihyan told The Independent.

Members of a support group for the next of kin and families of some of the 72 people killed in the Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017 (PA)

“But now that evidence has to be taken into consideration by the CPS, which means that it would be difficult for the people or organisations named to be charged especially for manslaughter charges. That’s really infuriating the immediate family members, who are saying: ‘Why did you take us down this road?’”


Max Hill, who was director of public prosecutions from 2018 to 2023, told The Independent that he “can certainly see” why Grenfell bereaved and survivors would have wanted criminal investigation and prosecution before the public inquiry.

“The police and the CPS are used to complex investigations,” he said. “Of course, there is a mass of detail, look at other major and complex investigations and prosecutions. The task at hand is to cut through the detail.”

While criminal probes “would have taken years in any event” and the information gathered by the inquiry will help the police, the immunity given to some inquiry witnesses means police and prosecutors will still have to gather evidence that will be admissible and reliable in court, Mr Hill added.

Scotland Yard’s Grenfell lead, Detective Superintendent Garry Moncrieff, previously told The Times that manslaughter and homicide “is at the heart of our investigation”, but said that “manslaughter is one of the hardest of cases to prove”.

He said that in the case of Grenfell “you have got so many people and companies that are involved”.

In the same interview, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy repeatedly said “confidently” that his officers will submit charging files to prosecutors.

This week, a House of Lords committee called for a major overhaul of the public inquiry system, including “better decisions at the start of an inquiry to expedite its work, reduce costs and ensure victims and survivors are properly involved”.

Baroness May was approached for comment.

UK
No Grenfell charges until end of 2026, police say

Tom Symonds,

BBC Home Affairs Correspondent,

It will be almost a decade after the Grenfell Tower disaster before any prosecutions could take place

It will be 10 years after the Grenfell Tower fire before potential criminal prosecutions can begin.

The Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service said no charges would be announced until late 2026 at the earliest because of the increasing “scale and complexity” of the inquiry.

Nineteen companies or organisations are currently under investigation, along with 58 individuals, over the disaster which killed 72 people in June 2017.

Grenfell United, the bereaved families and survivor group, said they need to see justice and the wait is "unbearable".

Senior officers have confirmed they are continuing to gather evidence of potential corporate manslaughter or fraud.

The police investigation, codenamed Operation Northleigh, has been under way for nearly seven years alongside the two-part public inquiry.

The delay announced today means it is likely no defendants will appear in court until 2027, if there are prosecutions.

The public inquiry into the fire is expected to publish its final report in the summer or autumn of this year.

Police will then spend 12 to 18 months considering its contents, a legal requirement, senior officers said.

What happened at Grenfell Tower?

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the Metropolitan Police had promised victims of the fire it would “follow the evidence wherever it would take us.”

He said police have "one chance" to get the investigation done to the right standard, and that "we owe that to those whilst their lives or who have been affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy."

Mr Cundy accepted the timeline was "incredible". "That isn’t justice denied, but it’s a long time to get to that point."

"A worse case scenario would be if we rushed the investigation," he said, because it might expose flaws in the cases the police will pass to prosecutors.

Grenfell United, the group for bereaved families and survivors, said people's lives are "on hold while those responsible walk free".

"Ten years until we see justice [...] 10 years until those responsible for the murders of 72 people are held to account for their crimes," the group said in a statement.

The investigation has become increasingly complex as the Metropolitan Police considers the web of organisations and companies involved in the disastrous refurbishment of Grenfell Tower before the fire.

This added a layer of highly flammable cladding, which led to a small fire in a flat spreading fast.

Police are examining the role of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and its tenant management organisation, companies involved in doing the work, and others which supplied and manufactured building materials.

They have also gathered 27,000 pieces of evidence from the tower itself.

Allowing reporters into a secret warehouse for the first time, they demonstrated how the plastic filling of a cladding panel had melted and dripped, one of the key reasons the fire had spread.

The exhibits also include the burnt remains of the fridge, in which an electric fault sparked the fire, and racks of insulation.

Unbearable’ wait for bereaved families for charge decision on Grenfell fire

Prosecutors say they need until the end of 2026 to decide on criminal charges over the disastrous 2017 blaze that killed 72 people.


METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER STUART CUNDY SAID THE POLICE OWE IT TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE FIRE TO GET THEIR INVESTIGATION RIGHT (AARON CHOWN/PA)

PA WIRE
MARGARET DAVIS

Bereaved families and survivors face waiting until the end of 2026 for a decision on potential criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire, nearly 10 years after the deadly blaze

The Metropolitan Police said their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.

Grenfell United, the bereaved families and survivor group, said the wait, which could stretch to a decade after the catastrophic 2017 fire that killed 72 people, was “unbearable”.

We need to see the people who perpetrated Grenfell held to account and charged for their crimes. The wait is unbearable

GRENFELL UNITED SPOKESMAN

A spokesman said: “Ten years until we see justice. Ten years until we see prosecutions.

“This should be shocking for everyone, but for us, we live our lives on hold while those responsible walk free.

“We need to see the people who perpetrated Grenfell held to account and charged for their crimes. The wait is unbearable.”

The report from the second stage of the public inquiry into the fire is due to be published later this year.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told journalists on Wednesday that investigators will need another year to 18 months after the publication to finalise their inquiry.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Garry Moncrieff said investigators will need to go through the report line by line to assess the impact on their probe.

Rosemary Ainslie, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said prosecutors will need until the end of 2026 to make final decisions about any criminal charges.

The mammoth police investigation into the fire has already generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements

A total of 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences, and 58 individuals, 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.

So far eight out of 20 files have been sent to the CPS for early investigative advice that would be passed back to police, with a typical case file more than 500 pages long with 17,000 pages of evidence.

The current timeline would mean it would be nearly 10 years before anyone could appear in court over the Grenfell Tower blaze.

We as the police have one chance to get this investigation done to the right standard, the right quality, and done the right way

DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER STUART CUNDY

Up to the end of March this year, the Met has spent £107.3 million on the inquiry, and there are 180 investigators currently working on the case.

Mr Cundy said the publication of the report will be a landmark moment for the police and those directly affected by the fire.

He said: “Based on where we are now, our estimation is that it will take at least another 12 to 18 months, once the inquiry publishes its report, before we will be in a position to finalise in essence what many people would call the charging file for us to then pass across to… the specialist lawyers within the Crown Prosecution Service.

“I know that sounds such a long period of time.

“Seven years ago, we made a commitment to the bereaved and the survivors that we would follow the evidence wherever it would take us, we remain true to our word with that.

“We as the police have one chance to get this investigation done to the right standard, the right quality, and done the right way.

“We owe that to those who lost their lives, owe it to everybody who has been affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”

Ms Ainslie said: “Due to the sheer size and volume of the completed evidential files, we will need to take the necessary time to properly evaluate the evidence and to provide final charging decisions.

“It’s not possible to be definitive about timescales, but it would be our hope that by the end of 2026 we will be in a position where we are making final charges.”

In a briefing with journalists at New Scotland Yard on Wednesday, Det Supt Moncrieff acknowledged that the police inquiry is taking a long time but said it is “a really complex” investigation.

Officers have retrieved more than 152 million files and gathered 75,000 photos and 27,000 exhibits.

Forensic teams spent 415 days examining the tower itself after the deadly blaze and painstakingly gathering evidence.

Exhibits are being stored in an enormous warehouse that is big enough to store 25 double decker buses.

It includes the charred remnants of cladding panels that would have had molten plastic dripping down them while the building was on fire.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I understand and share the deep frustration of the bereaved, survivors, the local community and all those affected seeking justice following the appalling Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

“The Met have today set out their ongoing work to hold those responsible to account and will leave no stone unturned in their investigation.

“This sadly still means that those impacted could be waiting up to a decade after the fatal fire to see those responsible brought to account.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. It’s vital that investigators and the Crown Prosecution Service are given the resources they need for this unique investigation to progress as swiftly as possible.”

Residents ‘living in the shadow’ of Grenfell Tower on fifth anniversary of fire

Dozens died in block of flats in west London in 2017

Over 70 people died after a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower in west London in 2017. PA.

Neil Murphy

Residents have described what it has been like “living in the shadow” of Grenfell Tower, five years after the blaze that claimed 72 lives.

Members of the community in North Kensington, west London, spoke of how the fire “seems like it was last night”, with the tower a constant reminder of the trauma they have suffered.

The June 2017 disaster left the 67 metre-tall building dilapidated and charred.

READ MORE

Heaviness 'hangs over' London’s Grenfell community ahead of jubilee celebrations

Authorities took four months to cover the block in a protective wrap with green hearts and the message: “Forever in our hearts.”

Five years on, no decision has been made about the future of the building. But the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission said a garden was “by far” the most popular idea from a survey of survivors, bereaved relatives and local residents.

Eman Yosry, a resident of Markland House tower block near Grenfell Tower, said the flats are “in front of us all the time”.

In an interview ahead of the anniversary on Tuesday, Ms Yosry spoke about losing many people she knew in the fire, saying: “I feel I can’t describe how sad and how difficult and painful it was.”

Growing tearful, she added: “I don’t know what to say.”

Ms Yosry said: “You can’t get away or forget what happened. It’s there, it’s in front of us all the time.

“Everywhere you go – you see Grenfell Tower. You go to anywhere near the area, you see the tower.”

Nahid Ashby, a resident of the Frinstead House tower block on the Silchester estate near the tower, said: “We’re still living in the shadow.”

Eman Yosry during an interview at the Grenfell Recovery Centre, west London, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. PA.

Ms Ashby described what it was like waiting for months for authorities to cover the burnt-out tower.

She said: “A lot of people were saying from the very beginning: ‘Are you going to cover it so we don’t have to look at it?’

“But by the time they covered it, it felt even worse because, I don’t know, they’re just covering it all up because that fire shouldn’t have happened.”

Mohammad Tehrani, 66, who lives in Bramley House next to the tower, said the disaster was always on his mind.

Mr Tehrani, who was at the foot of the tower on the night five years ago, said he saw body bags being carried out of the building and watched debris falling from it.

Showing a video he took of the debris surrounding Bramley House in the morning, Mr Tehrani said he cleared it up as children walked past on the way to school.

The 66-year-old said the ordeal “seems like it was last night” for the community while authorities try to “brush it under the carpet”.

He said: “I mean for us it hasn’t aged.

“It just seems it was last night so five years (on) and they try to ignore, they try to brush it under the carpet.”

Mr Tehrani said he is now able to talk about the disaster without crying but it is still “inside me”.

He also said he still gets flashbacks at night, seeing people “behind the windows begging for their lives”.

“This is something that we’ve seen that we will never forget – no matter what you do, it’s in your mind.

“For four years I used to cry every time you asked me a question, I couldn’t control myself.

“I’m trying my best but it’s inside me still. You can’t help it.”

Mr Tehrani said the way the disaster has cast a long shadow on the lives of children in the community is “so bad”.

He added: “I feel so sorry for my grandchildren, I feel so sorry when I see the young people, because I don’t think they will have a good future because of the things happening.

“They don’t speak but it’s at the back of their mind – if I’m 66 years old and I cannot forget that night, just imagine.

“I mean even my granddaughter lost some friends in her school.

“They don’t say anything but obviously it’s internally affected them – all of them.

“Some of the children, I’ve heard from our community, they don’t even go to the gas fire, they don’t like to see their mother cooking on the gas fire.

“You see it’s so bad.”

Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “On the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy, and always, our first and last thoughts are with those who lost their lives, their families and their friends.

“The bereaved and survivors continue to show incredible strength, courage, and solidarity, as they search for truth and justice.

“They have set us the challenge of being the best council – something I intend to strive towards."

A representative of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy must never be allowed to happen again and our thoughts are with the bereaved families, survivors and residents.”

 

Grenfell fire: Backlash against Mercedes F1 team over tower insulation firm sponsorship

Mercedes and Kingspan defend their relationship as the F1 team faces criticism of its decision to take financial backing from a firm at the centre of the Grenfell investigation.

James Sillars
Business reporter @SkyNewsBiz
Friday 3 December 2021

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is cheered by fans at the British Grand Prix in July

The Mercedes Formula One team, which includes Britain's Lewis Hamilton in its driver line-up, is facing a backlash for a sponsorship deal from a company which made some of the insulation used on Grenfell Tower.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, added his voice last night to condemnation from relatives of the 72 people killed in the devastating 2017 fire of the team's decision to add Kingspan to its financial backers.

The survivors' group Grenfell United, in a letter to the Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, demanded the relationship was severed, saying: "Kingspan played a central role in inflicting the pain and suffering that we feel today, and there must be a degree of public censure for Kingspan's recklessness and carelessness for human life."

Mr Gove tweeted: "Deeply disappointed that @MercedesAMGF1 are accepting sponsorship from cladding firm Kingspan while the Grenfell Inquiry is ongoing.

"I will be writing to Mercedes to ask them to reconsider. The Grenfell community deserves better."

Later writing a letter to Mr Wolff, Mr Gove warned that ministers could rewrite the rules on advertising on racing cars if it presses ahead with its sponsorship deal with Kingspan.

"My cabinet colleagues and I will keep this system under constant and close review to ensure that the advertising regime remains fit for purpose and reflects the public interest," he wrote.

"I am conscious that there are very real questions about whether parliament would support a statutory regime that enabled a core participant in a public inquiry in to how 72 people lost their lives to advertise its products publicly to millions of families across the country.

"The achievements of Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton in recent years represent a British success story of which we are all proud. I hope you will reconsider this commercial partnership which threatens to undermine all the good work the company and sport has done."

Mr Gove warned ministers could rewrite the rules on advertising on racing cars if Mercedes presses ahead with its sponsorship deal with Kingspan

The inquiry has raised questions over the safety of Kingspan's plastic foam boards - used in a small quantity on Grenfell's cladding.

It has heard that the composition of the Kooltherm K15 insulation was combustible and not properly tested.

Kingspan told The Guardian newspaper: "Kingspan played no role in the design of the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, where its K15 product constituted approximately 5% of the insulation and was used as a substitute product without Kingspan's knowledge in a system that was not compliant with the building regulations.

"The new partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team reflects the ambitious sustainability targets of both organisations."

Lewis Hamilton has added his voice to criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record while in the country

The row threatens to overshadow Lewis Hamilton's bid for a record 8th World Championship title, which continues this weekend in Saudi Arabia.

The British star, who has campaigned vigorously on issues including racism and LGBTQ+ rights, admitted on Thursday he was uncomfortable about racing in a country with "terrifying" human rights laws.

He has not commented on the Kingspan sponsorship row.

Mercedes has stressed that drivers are not involved in sponsorship decisions.

The team said in a statement: "Our partner Kingspan has supported, and continues to support, the vitally important work of the inquiry to determine what went wrong and why in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

"Our new partnership announced this week is centred on sustainability, and will support us in achieving our targets in this area."

GRENFELL TOWER FIRE INSULATION FAILED

Grenfell Tower inquiry 'failing to deliver' as survivors and bereaved families 'lose faith', lawyers warn

Law firms accuse probe of showing 'complete disregard' for victims and their relatives and warn that, without urgent action, it will be 'shrouded in secrecy'

May BulmanSocial Affairs Correspondent @maybulman

The Independent

Lawyers representing those who survived the disaster and relatives of the deceased accused the probe of showing 'complete disregard' for their clients ( PA )

The Grenfell Tower inquiry is “failing to deliver” on promises it made to traumatised survivors and the families of victims, who have “lost faith” in the process, lawyers have warned.

Law firms representing those who survived the disaster and relatives of the deceased accused the probe of showing “complete disregard” for their clients and warned that, without urgent action, it would be “shrouded in secrecy”.

Despite assurances that chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick was expecting to deliver his interim report on the inquiry’s first phase by spring, the Grenfell community still does not have a date for its release.

And while Sir Martin initially said he was aiming for the second part of the inquiry to start at the end of 2019, it will now be early 2020 before hearings resume.

The inquiry team has been aiming to produce the report, based on the first phase of the inquiry, before 14 June – the second anniversary of the fire.

Millionaire ‘filmed friends laughing as they burned Grenfell effigy’

40,000 people still living in deadly Grenfell-style tower blocks

Grenfell Tower ‘was ticking time bomb after fire inspector cuts’

But less than a quarter of the 200,000 documents relevant to this phase, which will examine the wider issues surrounding the fire, have been disclosed.

The delays will exacerbate concerns about delays to any charges being brought, as the Metropolitan Police have said they must take the final report of the public inquiry into account before submitting a file to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Isabel Bathurst, who is representing a number of victims’ families for Slater and Gordon, one of the firms in the group of 11, said: “The families have lost faith in the inquiry and believe the process shows no humanity or fundamental interest in what they are fighting for.

“They collectively feel it is failing to deliver on its intended purpose and those in charge do not comprehend the extent of the trauma the victims and the victims’ families are still suffering every day.

“They deserve answers and to simply move the goal posts of when these will be provided is not acceptable.

“It is of their view that this inquiry has complete disregard for their voices and a total lack of respect for their loved ones who lost their lives, and therefore, their ability to fight for justice themselves.

“Unless these concerns are taken seriously now, there is a real belief that it will still be shrouded in secrecy by the time we reach the second anniversary –a situation we are not willing to accept.”
Watch more

Grenfell Tower fire charges ‘unlikely before 2021’

The group of lawyers, which represents more than 90 core participants, has written to the inquiry pushing for the chair to make urgent fire safety recommendations for residents across the country.

A spokesperson for the inquiry said teams were in regular contact with families, with monthly public updates, drop-ins and written and face-to-face contact with groups and legal representatives.

“We recognise that publication of the phase one report is important for the bereaved, survivors and residents and all core participants,” she said.

“The drafting of the report is a very substantial exercise in which accuracy and thoroughness is key. The inquiry will update all core participants on the timing of publication of the phase one report in due course.”

Maria Chiejina, the sister of 60-year-old Vincent Chiejina, who died on the 17th floor of the tower, said the probe had “not delivered what an inquiry should deliver” and that the process “needs to be human”.

Grenfell United, a campaigning group representing survivors and the bereaved, added: “It’s May and we still don’t know what the schedule for the inquiry is for this year, never mind what the new venue will be or when to expect the phase one report.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began
Show all 18





“As we get closer to the second anniversary with no useful information people are increasingly frustrated and anxious. They need to put survivors and bereaved back at the heart of this process.”

Deborah Coles, the executive director of the charity Inquest, which has been supporting Grenfell families, said: “Getting to the truth of what happened is of benefit to us all.

“However, a lack of transparency and clear timeframes from the inquiry are causing unnecessary anxiety and anguish among bereaved families and survivors.”

Additional reporting by PA

UK

'Our desperate families are just numbers on a spreadsheet to tower block owners'

Families living in buildings with unsafe cladding have voiced their anger over inaction seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire


By
Dave BurkePolitical Correspondent
Melissa SigodoNews Reporter

5 Sep 2024

Families living in unsafe tower blocks say they feel like “numbers on a spreadsheet”, seven years after ministers vowed to remove flammable cladding from Britain’s high-rises.

Thousands of blocks of flats still haven’t had dangerous cladding removed despite 72 lives being lost in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who is Keir Starmer ’s deputy, said it is “not acceptable” that work hasn’t been done. She warned building owners there is "no excuse" not to act

It comes after a bombshell public inquiry report found greed and “systematic dishonesty” led to the 2017 Grenfell blaze. Since the tragedy, surveys have found 4,630 buildings in England that are over 11 metres had unsafe cladding - but just 1,350 have been reclad.


Disgust as 'exodus' of MPs leave Commons without listening to Grenfell statement

Robert Zampetti has been locked in a long legal battle to get cladding removed

  Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror

Work to make them safe had not even started in over 2,300 cases, according to latest Government figures. “When I was first told about it, I went to bed every night thinking about it,” said Rachael Loftus, 47, an NHS worker who lives in an unsafe block in Leeds.

“No human can sustain that.” She added: “This is a culture of genuinely not valuing the people who live in these homes. We’re numbers on a spreadsheet but we should be able to feel safe.”

Robert Zampetti, who lives just three miles from Grenfell Tower, has been locked in a long legal battle to have the cladding on his building removed. The 62-year-old told The Mirror that the landmark report by Sir Martin Moore-Bick "brings back a lot of emotions" because he saw the fire from his home.

Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members, said he was appalled at the inaction

Following the tragedy, a series of surveys was carried out on the block he lives in to see if it was dangerous. "When it sank in that we've got an issue, that caused a great deal of anxiety," he said.

"But after all this time we've still got the cladding. It showed they were putting the lives of human beings behind the free market and profit.

"There does come a point where you expect the Government to play a role in protecting its citizens." Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members in the Grenfell Tower fire, said he was appalled that cladding still hasn't been removed from thousands of homes.

He said: "Everybody has failed us and let us down. We've been chasing the [Government] for the cladding to be removed and they haven't removed it."

Seven years after the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of homes still have dangerous cladding 

He continued: "The [Conservative government] put their investments before safety and our lives. We're worthless. They put on a show that we're going to do this and do that. But why haven't you removed the cladding seven years on? It's all about bank sheets how much money and how much they can make and they can save.

"People's lives, especially the BAME origin, are worthless." Last week families were evacuated after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Dagenham which was undergoing work to remove cladding.

Campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal called on ministers to "put right this mess" after "too many broken promises since the scale of this crisis has come to light". It said: "Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with the same risk that there was in Grenfell seven years ago. This must change quickly.

Angela Rayner said there is no excuse for not acting 

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

"Grenfell was a disaster. Its legacy should not also be a tragedy." Ms Rayner said there is “no excuse” for owners not to carry out the lifesaving work - saying delays are “completely unacceptable”.

She warned that many more buildings with dangerous cladding have not been identified. Just 50% of those known to have dangerous cladding are carrying out remediation work, Ms Rayner said, and only 29% have fully removed and replaced it.

She said an announcement will come in the Autumn, when the Government will spell out how it plans to speed the process up. Ms Rayner pointed to a £5billion fund set up following the tragedy to help pay for remediation work.

She said: “I don’t accept that the money’s not there. And these companies, and the people that own these buildings, have financial resources as well.

"I don’t accept that there is not the money to do this remediation.” The Labour frontbencher said legal action has been taken against around 400 property owners, but warned that “complex structures” could slow work down.

The Housing Secretary said: “Sometimes there’s very complex structures to these buildings, like they’re owned offshore. And I’m looking at that now of how we can continue to really hold these building owners to account to make sure that they do the work.

"There’s no excuse to not do this work now.” Ms Rayner said: “It is completely unacceptable that the remediation is taking as long as it has. And that’s what I want to see, concluded much more swiftly.”

It comes as bereaved families called for manslaughter charges to be brought against those responsible for the Grenfell fire. Sir Martin's scathing report found all 72 deaths were "avoidable" and manufacturers deliberately concealed the extent of the danger of the cladding.

He also found that the Tory and coalition governments ignored safety fears. And the tenant management organisation (TMO) - appointed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, treated safety concerns as “inconvenience.”

Shahrukh Aghlani, whose mum and aunt died clasping each other, said: “I expect the CPS to tell us what sort of prosecution they have in mind. To me it's a manslaughter charge and nothing less.”

The Metropolitan Police said officers would spend 12 to 18 months assessing the report's findings.
Charges could include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.

Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members, said: “This inquiry was forced on us, we were not consulted. This inquiry hasn't taught me anything, in fact it delayed the justice that my family deserves."

5 Sep 2024

VIDEO

Company criticised in Grenfell report still making millions from council contracts

Jackie LongSocial Affairs Editor and Presenter

Angela Rayner has vowed to put pressure on developers to speed up the removal of dangerous cladding from more than two thousand buildings.

The government has also confirmed that it has no contracts with the companies criticised in yesterday’s damning report into the Grenfell fire.

But at least one of them is still making millions from contracts with local councils.

 Bryan T. Grenfell’s lecture available online: the 2022 Kyoto Prize laureate in Basic Sciences

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INAMORI FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: BRYAN T. GRENFELL’S LECTURE "EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF PATHOGENS IN TIME AND SPACE" IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE 2022 KYOTO PRIZE SPECIAL WEBSITE. view more 

CREDIT: INAMORI FOUNDATION

Why do many pathogens persist? What mechanism underlies the long-lasting wax and wane of pathogen-host interactions? 

Bryan T. Grenfell, a population biologist, aka father of “phylodynamics,” received the 2022 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences for his development of an innovative approach for integrative analysis of pathogen evolution and epidemics.

Grenfell’s Commemorative Lecture, “Epidemiological and Evolutionary Dynamics of Pathogens in Time and Space” is now available on the 2022 Kyoto Prize Special Website.

In his lecture, Grenfell presents a big picture of infectious disease epidemics using mathematical models that addresses how pathogens and hosts interact through viral evolution and host immunity in time and space.  

“Biology is often extremely complex, but sometimes, simple models can explain some of the complexity.”, says Grenfell, summarizing his achievements. He is still eagerly investigating COVID-19 using his methodology, and steadily providing guidance on infectious disease control.

To learn more about his science, passion, and wisdom, click here.

Bryan T. Grenfell
Population biologist, Kathryn Briger and Sarah Fenton Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs, Princeton University

Grenfell and the other two 2022 Kyoto Prize laureates are featured on the 2022 Kyoto Prize Special Website with information about their work, personal profiles, and five-minute introductory videos.

Carver Mead’s lecture available online: the 2022 Kyoto Prize laureate in Advanced Technology

Grant and Award Announcement

INAMORI FOUNDATION

 

IMAGE: CARVER MEAD’S LECTURE "A PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION" IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE 2022 KYOTO PRIZE SPECIAL WEBSITE. view more 

CREDIT: COURTESY OF INAMORI FOUNDATION

Carver Mead, an electronics engineer and applied physicist, has been awarded the 2022 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for leading contributions to the establishment of guiding principles for very large-scale integration (VLSI) systems design. Mead’s Commemorative Lecture, “A Personal Journey Through the Information Revolution” is now available on the 2022 Kyoto Prize Special Website.

In his lecture, Mead reveals a number of innovations that were foundational to permitting practical design of complex integrated circuits containing millions of transistors and creation of mask patterns for their production.

How did he arrive at the guiding principles for VLSI system design using billions of transistors? How did he create a unified view of the physical integrated circuit and incorporate it in an academic course? Click here to learn more.

Carver Mead
Gordon and Betty Moore Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, Emeritus, California Institute of Technology

Mead and the other two 2022 Kyoto Prize laureates are featured on the 2022 Kyoto Prize Special Website with information about their work, personal profiles, and five-minute introductory videos. 

• Zakir Hussain (Tabla Player)

About the Kyoto Prize

The Kyoto Prize is an international award of Japanese origin presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the progress of science, the advancement of civilization, and the enrichment and elevation of the human spirit. The Prize is granted in the three categories of advanced technology, basic sciences, and arts and philosophy. Each category comprises four fields, representing a total of 12 fields. Every year, one Prize for each of the three categories is awarded with prize money of 100 million yen per category.

One of the distinctive features of the Kyoto Prize is that it recognizes both “science” and “arts and philosophy” fields. This is because its founder, Kazuo Inamori, held the conviction that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific development and enrichment of the human spirit.

Deregulation & ignored warnings on Grenfell a “national scandal” – FBU

 

21st August 2024Leave a Commenton Deregulation & ignored warnings on Grenfell a “national scandal” – FBU

“The Grenfell Tower fire was a crime caused by deregulation and institutional failings at the highest level. By the time of the fire, the residents of the tower had warned on multiple occasions that their building was unsafe.”

Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary

By the Fire Brigades Union

Recent reports have focused on the issue of ‘stay put’ guidance at the Grenfell Tower fire, with London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe saying that residents were asked “to stay put for too long”.

In a statement, the Fire Brigades Union has said that while it is “right that stay put is reviewed for situations like Grenfell”, the fire “was a crime caused by deregulation and institutional failings at the highest level.”

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said that firefighters attending Grenfell “were forced to work under impossible conditions, lacking appropriate preparation, planning and training”.

The union cites a number of examples of when its warnings on building safety and evacuation preparation were ignored.

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:

“The Fire Brigades Union called for a review of ‘stay put’ in 2007 in a report into a 2005 fire in Harrow Court in Stevenage, in which two firefighters and one resident were killed. These warnings were not heeded. This has been the story on far too many occasions.

“The Grenfell Tower fire was a crime caused by deregulation and institutional failings at the highest level. By the time of the fire, the residents of the tower had warned on multiple occasions that their building was unsafe.

“There were various warnings over many years about the dangers of cladding fires, including from the Fire Brigades Union. There had already been fatalities, including at Garnock Court in 1999 and Lakanal House in 2009. It is a national scandal that our warnings were ignored. 

“These failings do not rest with front line firefighters. For years, Chief Fire Officers failed to pass on vital knowledge to front line firefighters. Despite obvious warnings, they failed to prepare firefighters for compartmentation breaking down because of flammable cladding.

“Firefighters at Grenfell were forced to work under impossible conditions, lacking appropriate preparation, planning and training. These high level failings of policy continue to this day.

“It is right that stay put is reviewed for situations like Grenfell. But we must ask why flammable cladding is still wrapped around the homes of hundreds of thousands of people and why there are other significant fire safety failings on many buildings across the country.

“The government has still not produced proper guidance on how to evacuate a high-rise tower in the middle of a fire, despite having had years to do so. We highlighted this in a letter to the Home Secretary in March this year.

“The FBU will not rest until we achieve justice for all victims of the fire and until everyone has a safe and decent home.” 

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• A copy of the Fire Brigade Union’s (FBU) correspondence to the previous Home Secretary can be viewed here.
• Matt Wrack is the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union. You can follow him on Twitter/X, and can follow the FBU on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
• This article was originally published by the FBU on 20 August 2024.