PA Media/dpa
London
A damning report into the Grenfell Tower fire has found victims, bereaved and survivors were “badly failed” through incompetence, dishonesty and greed, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a state apology for a disaster he said should never have happened.
The long-awaited inquiry findings into the 2017 blaze which claimed the lives of 72 people concluded that each death was avoidable and had been preceded by “decades of failure” by government and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He called out “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market, as Grenfell United said his report “speaks to a lack of competence, understanding and a fundamental failure to perform the most basic of duties of care”.
The group, which represents some bereaved and survivors, called for a ban on government contracts for some of the companies involved - and Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament all firms found by the inquiry to be part of the “horrific failings” will be written to “as the first step” to stopping them being awarded such contracts.
But while describing the report as a “significant chapter” in the years since the fire, Grenfell United said “justice has not been delivered”, as they said police and prosecutors must “ensure that those who are truly responsible are held to account and brought to justice”.
Sir Keir said it is “imperative that there is full accountability” for what happened, “including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible”.
The PM, speaking as some Grenfell families sat in the House of Commons for his statement, said: “I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you and indeed to all the families affected by this tragedy.
“It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones.”
