The deaths of 72 residents in the devastating fire in the north Kensington Grenfell flat complex in 2017 were “all avoidable”, the final official inquiry report has concluded. Those who lived and died there were “badly failed” by successive governments, the complacent local authority and its tenant management organisation (TMO), by the architects, consultants, builders, the manufacturers of the cladding that was the principal cause of the fire’s spread, and by the poorly-led London fire brigade.
In part, the report chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, says the tragedy was attributable to incompetence and wilful ignorance in the construction sector, the refusal of all the players to take responsibility for the inconvenient business of fire safety, and their disregard over many years of new scientific evidence of emerging dangers.
Downright “dishonesty and greed” played a key part. Specifically, what the report calls the “systematic dishonesty” of marketing strategies by manufacturers, predominantly Arconic but also Irish firm Kingspan, who actively promoted products they knew were not safe in high-rise buildings. The report was scathing about the TMO’s interaction with residents and management of the building, with fire safety shown “persistent indifference”.
The report makes a series of important recommendations, targeted mainly at regulating and professionalising the construction sector and embedding a culture of fire safety. It envisages creating new lines of clear legal responsibility in which self-described but unqualified experts have no place. Independent certification of products should end false marketing claims.
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Yesterday the families of those who died or lost their homes got a measure of truth in a comprehensive report that pulled no punches. British prime minister Keir Starmer apologised on behalf of the state. A criminal investigation will examine the report, a process expected to take more than 18 months. Despite its conclusion that “decades of failure” led to the tragedy, it is unclear whether criminals charges will follows.