The long-awaited report into the tragic blaze that engulfed Grenfell Tower, claiming the lives of 72 people, is set to be published today.
The final report on the inquiry will present findings on how the west London tower block came to be in a condition which allowed the flames to spread so quickly during the 2017 fire.
Families of those killed have insisted it must be a “landmark report” which prompts widescale change after what was described as a “spider’s web of blame” was spun during inquiry hearings.
The report into phase one, published in October 2019, concluded the tower’s cladding did not comply with building regulations and was the principal reason for the rapid and “profoundly shocking” spread of the blaze.
It is expected that inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his two panel members will lay out their detailed findings regarding the actions of corporate firms in the construction industry, the local authority, London Fire Brigade and the government.
The report’s findings could ramp up pressure on police and prosecutors to make progress on getting people before the courts – something many bereaved and survivors have said must happen for justice to be served.
Key Points
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Final report to be published seven years after fire
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Aunty of Grenfell victim says final report must be landmark
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How the inquiry unfolded
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The fight for justice – in pictures
Final Grenfell Tower report to be published seven years after fire
07:28 , Alexander Butler
A long-awaited report into the deaths of 72 people in a fire at Grenfell Tower is due to be published more than seven years after the blaze.
The lengthy document – the final report of the inquiry into the 2017 disaster – is expected to lay out in detail its findings around the actions of corporate firms in the construction industry, the local authority, London Fire Brigade and government.
Families of those killed have insisted it must be a “landmark report” which prompts widescale change after what was described as a “spider’s web of blame” was spun during inquiry hearings.
Who were the victims of the fire?
07:25 , Alexander Butler
The Grenfell disaster claimed the lives of 72 people. Each one somebody’s father, mother, brother, sister, relative, friend or neighbour, they ranged in age from an unborn baby to an 84-year-old woman.
During seven days of commemorations during the first phase of the public inquiry into the fire, tributes were paid to most of the victims.
Some of their stories are below.
Anthony “Tony” Disson, 65
The 65-year-old retired lorry driver had lived on the 10th floor of Grenfell Tower for eight years.
In a statement, his son Lee said: “He was a very special person and I would like him to be remembered for who he was when he was alive.
“He was always there to help anyone, no matter who you were or where you came from.”
Ali Yawar Jafari, 82
Mr Jafari lived on the 10th floor and tried to escape the tower with his wife and daughter when the fire broke out.
They got in a lift but Mr Jafari got out after suffering breathing problems. He was later pulled out by firefighters but was pronounced dead at the scene.
His son Hamid Ali Jafari said in a video tribute: “I think the happiest moment he had was when my son was born, because he was attached to him a lot.”
No justice without people behind bars, says 12-year-old Grenfell victim’s aunt
07:16 , Alexander Butler
Those who put profit above people’s lives must end up behind bars for justice to be served, the aunt of a child killed in the Grenfell Tower fire has said.
Sandra Ruiz said lives had been “shattered” by the 2017 blaze, with her 12-year-old niece Jessica Urbano Ramirez among the 72 people killed.
Ms Ruiz said people must be held to account and that the only justice she can accept is seeing perpetrators jailed for their roles in what happened.
No justice without people behind bars, says 12-year-old Grenfell victim’s aunt
‘Grenfell is a warning to the world’: The survivors still searching for justice
07:06 , Nadine White
It was payday – Emma Louise O’Connor and her partner Luke had treated themselves to a pizza and gone to bed in their 20th-floor flat, only to be awoken by a fire alarm in the early hours. The date was 14 June 2017 and, 16 floors below Emma’s home atGrenfell, a fridge-freezer in Flat 16 had caught ablaze.
At 1.21am – less than 40 minutes after the fire began – Emma, who has mobility issues, and her partner managed to leave the building, taking a smoke-filled lift down to the ground floor. They had escaped just before the blaze took hold across the tower block, engulfing the flammable cladding, in a tragedy that killed 72.
“I went into shock,” says Emma. “I remember being dragged away from the scene by my partner who took me to my mum’s nearby. Looking at the building burning, I couldn’t actually believe what I was watching.”
‘Grenfell is a warning to the world’: The survivors still searching for justice
Police investigation
07:01 , Chris Stevenson
The report’s findings could ramp up pressure on police and prosecutors to make speedier progress on getting people before the courts – something many bereaved and survivors have said must happen for justice to be served.
In May, 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.
Bereaved and survivors have described that wait, which could stretch to a decade after the catastrophic fire, as “unbearable”.
According to the update from police and prosecutors earlier this year, 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 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.
How the Grenfell inquiry happened
06:48 , Tom Watling
The long-running inquiry’s second report into the Grenfell Tower fire will present findings today on how the west London tower block came to be in a condition which allowed the flames to spread so quickly, claiming the lives of 72 people.
The report into phase one, published in October 2019, concluded the tower’s cladding did not comply with building regulations and was the “principal” reason for the rapid and “profoundly shocking” spread of the blaze.
It is expected inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his two panel members will now go on to lay out their detailed findings regarding the actions of corporate firms in the construction industry, the local authority, London Fire Brigade and the government.
The final hearing of the second phase of the inquiry took place in November 2022 and families have previously spoken of their long wait and continued fight for justice.
Dagenham fire
06:39 , Chris Stevenson
The report comes just over a week after a major fire in east London at a block which had been undergoing work to have cladding removed as a result of what happened at Grenfell.
The non-fatal Dagenham blaze, coming so many years after the 2017 fire, prompted fierce criticism from various quarters including bereaved and survivors group Grenfell United, which said it showed the “painfully slow progress of remediation across the country, and a lack of urgency for building safety as a whole”.
Dame Judith Hackitt, who led an independent review into building regulations after the Grenfell fire, described it as “really concerning” that so many people are still living in uncertainty and fear about the safety of their homes.
Dowing Street said prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had, at Tuesday’s Cabinet, said the Dagenham fire was a further reminder of the importance of learning lessons from Grenfell to ensure mistakes made then never happen again.
The tragedy of Grenfell and the fight for justice – in pictures
06:30 , Tom Watling
Below, we have compiled some pictures from throughout the last seven years since Grenfell Tower caught on fire, claiming the lives of 72 people.
Since then, residents and relatives have fought for justice in what they believe was the prioritisation of profit over people.
Aunty of Grenfell victim says final report must be ‘landmark’
06:15 , Tom Watling
Sandra Ruiz, whose 12-year-old niece Jessica Urbano Ramirez died in the fire, said this final publication must be a “landmark report”, which prompts “cultural, institutional and legislative change”.
She said there is “a bit of trepidation” that the report “may not cover everything that we hope for”, but added there is “a lot of hopefulness” given how “hard-hitting” the first report was.
The report needs to bring about “a tide change” in how organisations, government and local authorities are governed and managed, she said, “because we’ve seen all too often” how people have “completely sidestepped their areas of responsibility”.
She added: “We can’t allow that to happen. Unfortunately this country’s governance is broken at the moment. This report needs to change that.”
Good morning
06:00 , Tom Watling
Good morning.
Here we will be bringing you coverage of the final report in the long-running inquiry into the fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower.