The findings of an inquiry report published on Wednesday 4 September blame the British government and construction industry bodies for the fire at the building in 2017.
More than seven years after the tragedy that deeply shocked the United Kingdom, the findings of the inquiry finally point the finger at those responsible. The Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, in which 72 people died, was the result of “decades of failures” by the government and construction industry bodies, a damning report published on Wednesday, September 4, reveals. These deaths are said to have “all could have been avoided”, said retired judge Martin Moore-Bick, who was in charge of the report, in making its findings public. “Those who lived in the tower were seriously betrayed for years […] by those who were responsible for the safety of the building and its occupants,” he added.
«We have lost friends, neighbors and loved ones in the most horrible way possible, because of greed, corruption, incompetence and negligence,” Natasha Elcock, president of the victims’ association Grenfell United, denounced it.
The government will ensure that this “can never happen again,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who presented an apology to parliament, promised “in the name of the State”. And the head of state continued: “The country failed in its most basic duty: to protect you and your loved ones, the people we are supposed to serve. And for that I am deeply sorry.”
“Systematic dishonesty” of materials companies
On June 14, 2017, the worst residential fire in Britain since World War II took less than half an hour to spread through the entire 24-storey tower block, occupied by generally modest families, in an upscale area of west London.
The final inquiry report singles out in particular the deregulation policy pursued by successive governments, which has put pressure on civil servants to cut bureaucracy. Concerns have therefore been raised “ignored, delayed or neglected.” The report also highlights the “systematic dishonesty” building materials companies. They have adopted “deliberate strategies” […] to manipulate the testing process, distort data and mislead the market,” the report accuses. The London Fire Brigade firefighters are also heavily criticised for failing to learn lessons from a previous fire in 2009, which “should have alerted them” on their difficulties “to fight fires in high-rise buildings.”
The first phase of the investigation, published in October 2019, initially concluded that the façade cladding was the “main cause” the spread of the fire. In the wake of this, the British Conservative government announced that developers would be required to contribute more to the cost of removing these claddings.
