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- Grenfell Tower fire inquiry finds decades of failure led to UK's deadliest blaze since World War II
Grenfell Tower fire inquiry finds decades of failure led to UK's deadliest blaze since World War II
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The Grenfell Tower fire, which occurred on June 14, 2017, was a devastating blaze that resulted in the deaths of 72 people, including 18 children. The fire was sparked by an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor of the 24-storey building in west London. A 1,700-page report by the public inquiry, led by retired judge Martin Moore-Bick, concluded that the deaths were "all avoidable" and that there were "decades of failure" by governments, institutions, and individuals that contributed to the tragedy.
We paid the price for systematic dishonesty, institutional indifference and neglect.
It's now on to you to deliver justice.
The simple truth is the deaths were all avoidable and those who lived in the tower were badly failed.
They include the government, the tenant management organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, those who manufactured and supplied the materials used in the refurbishment, those who certified their suitability for use on high-rise buildings, the architect.
All contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases through incompetence, but in some cases, through dishonesty and greed.
Due to the sheer volume of evidence and complexity of the investigation, we will need to take the necessary time to thoroughly evaluate the evidence before providing final charging decisions.
More must now be done to hold those responsible to account, including banning any of the companies held responsible by the inquiry from receiving any public contracts as the police and CPS look into bringing criminal prosecutions.
It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones.
Can (the prime minister) commit to ensuring that companies identified in this report will be excluded from public contracts, held account to the full extent of the law and pay their full weight of financial remediation for the building safety remedial work that is needed?
In the face of a justice so painful so deserving of anger any words can begin to lose their meaning. It's been seven years still waiting for the justice you deserve.
My thoughts today are wholly with those bereaved by, and survivors of, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the residents in the immediate community. This day is for them. I hope that Sir Martin's report can provide the truth they have sought for so long, and that it is step towards the accountability and justice they deserve.
Our realistic concern is that the 'web of blame' presented through the inquiry will be a barrier to our justice.
For decades we've had ministers responsible for building safety, for fire safety policy, and prime ministers who have overseen an agenda determined to get rid of regulations, and those regulations were the means by which buildings were kept safe for the people living in them.
The Grenfell disaster is a tragedy that shames our whole society. The report lays bare failings of governments of all parties over decades and on behalf of my party I'm sorry.
Grenfell Tower Fire
sources
- 1.Le Monde
- 2.CNN
- 3.The Washington Post
- 4.CTV News
- 5.CNA News
- 6.The Times
- 7.Al Jazeera
- 8.Agence France-Presse
- 9.BBC
- 10.Channel 4
- 11.Reuters
perspectives
countries
organizations
- 1.London Fire Brigade
- 2.Metropolitan Police
- 3.Conservative Party
- 4.Crown Prosecution Service
- 5.Labour Party
- 6.Arconic
- 7.Celotex
- 8.Kingspan
- 9.Department of Communities and Local Government
- 10.Fire Brigades Union
- 11.Hotpoint
- 12.House of Commons
persons
- 1.Martin Moore-Bick
- 2.Keir Starmer
- 3.Natasha Elcock
- 4.Andy Roe
- 5.Leena Belkadi
- 6.Sadiq Khan
- 7.Abdulaziz El-Wahabi
- 8.Angela Rayner
- 9.Barbara Lane
- 10.Bernie Bernard
- 11.Ed Davey
- 12.Edward Daffarn