THE GRENFELL MASSACRE



Grenfell architect did not check fire safety guidance for tall buildings, inquiry hears

Asked whether he read government guidelines on building and fire regulations, Bruce Sounes said he referred to it but 'certainly didn't read it from start to finish'

Caitlin Doherty

The lead architect on the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower “can’t recall” whether he knew there were different fire regulations for high-rise buildings, an inquiry has heard.

Bruce Sounes was in charge of the day-to-day management of the redesign of the 24-storey North Kensington block.

Giving evidence to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on Tuesday, the associate at Studio E architects was shown a diagram of different building classifications relating to blocks over 18m tall.

Mr Sounes was asked by Kate Grange QC, counsel to the inquiry: “Were you aware that there might be different rules that applied to buildings over 18m ...”

He replied: “No, I was aware that they may exist, but I did not refer to [the document] at the time.”
Watch more

Firms in Grenfell Tower inquiry given immunity from prosecution
DAMN SHAME

He added: “I can’t recall if I was aware of that.”

When asked whether he read the government guidelines on building and fire regulations – also known as approved document B – during the Grenfell project, Mr Sounes said: “I referred to it on occasion but I certainly didn’t read it from start to finish.

“Because it’s so wide ranging, an architect will find themselves referring to specific sections to try and understand whether they are meeting their requirements.”

Mr Sounes was also shown a diagram of how fire can spread up the external cladding of a building.

When asked whether he saw anything like this during the Grenfell project, he said “no”.
Read more

Grenfell firms ‘killed residents as if they’d pulled a trigger’

Grenfell Tower firms ‘knew planned cladding would fail in fire’

Grenfell firefighter who revoked ‘stay put’ policy made LFB chief

Earlier on Tuesday, the inquiry heard that Studio E has “no record” of ever signing a contract for the Grenfell project with the local property management company.

In his written statement to the inquiry, Mr Sounes, said: “From the documents within Studio E’s possession I do not know whether the Kensington and Chelsea tenant management organisation (KCTMO) appointment was ever actually signed by Studio E and KCTMO.

“I cannot specifically recall Studio E signing the documents and nor do we have a completed copy on file.”

Giving evidence, the architect added: “I have no recollection of it being signed and we couldn’t locate a copy, but that’s not to say it wasn’t signed. I cannot remember.

“I guess I thought maybe it was, but I don’t know.”

The evidence comes after Studio E boss Andrzej Kuszell told the hearings that Mr Sounes had no experience of over cladding residential blocks.

However, he had faith that his firm could complete the Grenfell job.

Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures
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The Grenfell Tower is illuminated green to mark the 
second anniversary of the fire

Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in Newcastle ahead of the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire

PA

People release balloons in front of the Grenfell Tower during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the fire (Peter Summers/Getty Images)

Tower ahead of the second anniversary of the fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire 

PA

Cards bearing names of victims of the Grenfell fire are attached to a railing nearby to the tower

People observe a memorial during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire

Mr Kuszell said on Monday: “I believed we had the processes and experience of complex buildings to be able to undertake this commission. It wasn’t just my belief, it was clearly the belief of all senior members.

“We put the project in the hands of one of our most senior and experienced people.

“I had no reason to believe we wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Mr Kuszell also apologised to survivors of the 2017 fire that killed 72 people, and told them: “It really shouldn’t have happened.

“Hindsight now comes into play – we’ve lived two and a half years since the tragedy and doubtless absolutely every one of us would wish to turn the clock back.

“It really shouldn’t have happened, and I’m really, really sorry for all of you and everybody else who was involved in the project.”

The hearings continue.

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Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in Salford ahead of the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire

PA

UK AUSTERITY KILLS

'Appalling': Tory MPs reject deadline to make tower block cladding safe within five years of Grenfell

James Morris
·Senior news reporter, Yahoo News UK
Wed, 19 May 2021

The June 2022 deadline marked five years after the Grenfell Tower disaster in west London, in which 72 people died. (AFP via Getty Images)

Conservative MPs have been branded “appalling” after voting down a “cast-iron deadline” of June 2022 to complete building safety works amid the cladding crisis.

Some 358 Tory MPs voted down the Labour amendment to the Building Safety Bill, which would have compelled the government to ensure the safety – including the removal of flammable cladding – of buildings such as flat and apartment blocks within the next 13 months.

The June 2022 deadline marked five years after the Grenfell Tower disaster in west London, in which 72 people died.

The government's latest building safety data show that as of 31 March, there were still 111 high-rise buildings with the same type of cladding which caused the Grenfell fire to spread.

Following the vote on Tuesday evening, Labour MP Apsana Begum referred to a tower block fire in her Poplar and Limehouse constituency on 7 May.

Watch: Fire sweeps through east London tower block with same cladding as Grenfell
Grenfell survivors 'horrified' after fire sweeps through east London tower block with same cladding

Some of the affected section had the same cladding panels which were a key factor in the Grenfell disaster, but the building’s management company said it played no part in the fire.

Begum posted on Twitter: “Just 11 days ago, a fire in a building in with the same cladding as in Grenfell, led to people in my area being hospitalised & evacuated.

“Today, the government were asked to set a hard deadline of June 2022 for remediation works to complete.

“258 [sic] MPs voted it down.

“Appalling.”

Opening the debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Labour’s shadow housing secretary Lucy Powell had said of next June’s five-year anniversary since Grenfell: “Nobody should pass this milestone living in an unsafe block.”

She added: “For people trapped in buildings with dangerous cladding that dream has become twisted and become a waking nightmare.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “I’m acutely conscious of the significance to the bereaved and the survivors who, more than anything, never want any community to go through what they have suffered.

Read more:
Government tells homeowners with mental health fears caused by cladding scandal to contact Samaritans

“That is what our landmark bill aims to deliver through the biggest improvements to building safety regulation for a generation.”

“Building on the Fire Safety Act it will embed the new building safety regulator as part of a wide-ranging, rigorous approach to regulating the built environment in this country.”

Jenrick added the government would also implement recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review, strengthening accountability and responsibility across the sector with “clear duties and responsibilities” for building owners and managers.

The Grenfell Tower as seen from Silchester Road. (PA)

Products used in the construction of buildings will also be bound by “rigorous” safety standards, residents will have a “stronger voice” to seek redress and financial support will be given to tenants to remove unsafe cladding, he told the Commons.

It comes after Downing Street's controversial Fire Safety Bill passed into law last month. Critics of the bill said it will leave leaseholders with flammable cladding on their building liable for costs of up to £50,000 in order to remove it, despite it being there through no fault of their own.

At the vote, Labour’s amendment lost by 138.

Watch: Labour on June 2022 deadline to solve cladding crisis (from before the Commons vote)

How can a building with Grenfell-style cladding go up in flames four years after Grenfell?

Matilda Long
7 May 2021

A fire broke out in a flat in New Providence Wharf, a development covered with the same cladding that allowed the Grenfell fire to spread with such deadly speed. (PA Images)

After 72 people were killed in the devastating fire that ripped through the Grenfell Tower in London, the country unified behind a simple message: "Never again."

Four years later and just 10 miles away, a block of flats wrapped in the same dangerous cladding that allowed the Grenfell blaze to spread with deadly speed through the tower, caught fire.

More than 100 firefighters rushed to the New Providence Wharf development, near Canary Wharf, on Friday morning.

Parts of the eighth, ninth and 10th stories of the 19-floor block were set alight, with roaring flames visible from the street below and smoke engulfing the building.

Watch: Firefighters tackle blaze at east London tower block


Rescue teams evacuated terrified residents from their balconies, and two people were taken to hospital.

A further 42 people, including four children, were treated at the scene for shock and smoke inhalation.

The fire raises one straightforward question: how is this still being allowed to happen?

Following the Grenfell Tower fire, then prime minister Theresa May established the Building Safety Programme, with the promise of "making sure that buildings are safe – and people feel safe – now, and in the future."

Much of the plan focused on the removal of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from high-rise buildings.

Firefighters inspect the burnt remains of a flat in New Providence Wharf in London. The damage shows how the fire spread to neighbouring apartments. (Yui Mok/PA)

Firefighters and police are pictured at the scene in New Providence Wharf in London, where the London Fire Brigade was called on Friday morning to reports of a fire. (Yui Mok/PA)

The inquiry into the Grenfell fire, which is still ongoing, concluded that "the primary cause of fire spread" was the presence of ACM cladding.

Writing in July 2019, then communities secretary James Brokenshire set a deadline of June 2020 for the removal of ACM from private sector buildings. Building owners were warned they would face "enforcement action" if they failed to comply.

The deadline was missed.

On 11 March 2021, almost a year after the target date and close to four years after the Grenfell tragedy, government figures show just 52% of the hundreds of high-rise building identified as having unsafe ACM cladding have completed work to remove it.

Some 43 buildings haven't even started the process of remediation, and work is ongoing in 76 further buildings.

The remains of the Grenfell Tower are pictured a few weeks after the deadly blaze, which killed 72 people. (PA Images)

Graffiti was scrawled on walls near the Grenfell Tower after the building went up in flames due to safety defects. Four years later, the same defects still exist in hundreds of other high-rise buildings. (PA Images)

In New Providence Wharf in 2021, approximately 22% of the building’s facade features ACM PE cladding panels.

New Providence Wharf is owned by Ballymore housing, an Ireland-based company that made a profit of £80.3m in the year 2018 2019.

In a statement on Friday, Ballymore said that work to replace the cladding was “under way” and the main contractor had been due to take possession of the site on Monday.

There are a number of reasons behind the delay to remove the deadly cladding, including the government's underestimate of the scale of the problem.

Another key reason is that developers and owners of buildings are refusing to pay up.

Ballymore have said they do not plan to pay the full costs for the removal of the ACM cladding, instead passing millions of pounds in costs onto the freeholders of the flats.

The costs for remediation for the building are set to be between £12.5 million and £25 million.

Brokenshire wrote to developers in 2019 to encourage them to cover the costs.

However there is no legal obligation on developers to pick up the tab, and the request went ungranted.

A £200m fund was set up by the government in 2019 when it became clear that developers were not willing to pay the millions needed to remove dangerous cladding, but failed to speed up the process.

A spokesperson from the ministry of housing, communities and local government (MHCLG) told Yahoo News UK that the building had received £8 million from this fund, but that work had not yet started and was due to commence next week.

The government passed a bill this month that offers some funding to replace ACM cladding on buildings over 18m.

However, the funding does not cover other defects such as missing fire breaks, leaving leaseholders facing bills in the tens of thousands of pounds.

Buildings smaller than 18m are not eligible for grants.

GRENFELL

Watch: Ministers attacked over funding gaps for cladding scandal
£3.5bn more to remove cladding - but ministers attacked over lesser support for low-rise flats

The government will provide a further £3.5bn to "end the cladding scandal" in the wake of Grenfell Tower fire - but ministers have been attacked for failing to act further on smaller blocks of flats or on non-cladding issues.

Apsana Begum, the Poplar & Limehouse Labour MP, said: “For years now, constituents at New Providence Wharf, where there are 1,500 apartments, have been left vulnerable and unsafe due to numerous fire safety and building safety defects and the fact that ACM cladding remains on these buildings.

“The fire this morning shows just how serious this issue is and why constituents have been right to continue to raise alarm bells for so many months and having met with them again I know just how terrified they must be feeling at this time.”

“The developer Ballymore have promised action, but to date, constituents have not received information on fire engineer reports and details of any remediation works.”

Two women walk towards the Grenfell Memorial Wall in the grounds of Kensington Aldridge Academy in February 2021, almost four years after the tragedy. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images)

Speaking after rescue services attended New Providence Wharf, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said: “It is extremely alarming to see another high-rise building in the heart of London light up in flames.

“A huge thank you to the firefighters who responded and got the fire under control so quickly and our thoughts are with all of those affected.

“It should shame this government that four years on from Grenfell there are people across the country living in buildings wrapped in flammable cladding.

“Time and time again we’ve warned that another Grenfell could be just around the corner unless they prioritise making people’s homes safe.

“The pace of removing flammable cladding has been glacial and it’s putting people’s lives at risk. The government must intervene and take quick and decisive action to end our building safety crisis once and for all.”

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “We thank the emergency services for their work to extinguish the fire in New Providence Wharf. As we await their report on the cause of the fire it is too early to speculate, but we are working closely with the London Fire Brigade.

GRENFELL

“The building has received £8m government funding to remove unsafe ACM cladding – this work was set to take place on Monday and we have been in regular contact with Ballymore over the last two years to make progress, including publicly naming Landor, their subsidiary, as one of the companies that has consistently failed to take action. Ministers have met Ballymore repeatedly to urge action.

“We are spending £5bn to fully fund the replacement of all unsafe cladding in the highest risk buildings and are making the biggest improvements to building safety in a generation. It is essential that building owners take swift action to remediate defective cladding and the government will fund every eligible application. Workers are on site in 95% of buildings identified as having ACM cladding at the beginning of 2020 and we expect that work to be completed at pace in the coming months.”

Ballymore said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this morning’s fire at New Providence Wharf.

“The safety of our residents is paramount and we are working closely with the London Fire Brigade.

“We can confirm that the fire was quickly brought under control by the Fire Brigade and is now extinguished. Our response team are on-site to support residents and assist with alternative accommodation where necessary.

“We will update once we have more information.”

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.

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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.”
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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
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“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