Government considers criminal penalties for unsafe cladding after Grenfell report (2024)

TheGrenfell Tower Inquiryhas been a “burden” that has hampered criminal justice, a bereaved family member has said.

Nazanin Aghlani, whose mother, 65-year-old Sakineh Afrasehabi, and 59-year-old aunt, Fatima Afrasiabi,were killed while trying to escapethe firein London’s north Kensington, believes police prosecutions should have started before the inquirybegan.

Ms Aghlani, 37, said her mother was “housed in a death trap” and that only criminal prosecutions can bring her “closure” and justice.

Ms Afrasehabi lived on the 18th floor of Grenfell Tower despite being partially sighted, having severe arthritis and walking with a frame. The inquiry heard that documentation from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s (RBKC) housing needs department in 2003 said she should not be housed above the fourth floor.

Ms Aghlani, who works as an architectural designer, claimed that beginning the public inquiry before police investigations were under way was a “stitch-up for bereaved families”.

“What we are after is criminal charges. It should have been the other way around; criminal prosecutions should have taken place first.”

“Justice has been stolen away from us.”

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A fire at a block of flats in Catford, south-east London has now been brought under control, the London Fore Brigade (LFB) has said.

Up to 70 firefighters were called to the blaze at two flats on the ninth and 10th floors of the tower block in Lewisham at around 12.51pm.

The LFB said the fire was brought under control at around 2.14pm and there have been no reports of injuries.

Scotland’s housing minister has said the Government will “carefully consider” the recommendations of the final report into the Grenfell Tower fire.

The near-1,700 page report was published on Wednesday, with inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick claiming “decades of failure” led to the loss of 72 lives at the west London tower block in 2017.

Responding to the report, Paul McLennan said: “The tragic Grenfell Tower fire emphasised how important building and fire safety is. Keeping residents and homeowners safe is our priority and we are taking action to protect lives by ensuring the assessment and remediation of buildings with potentially unsafe cladding.

“We will carefully consider all of the recommendations in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s report. Yesterday, I met with UK Government ministers to discuss how we can work collaboratively to take the appropriate actions to deliver the inquiry’s recommendations and ensure residents and homeowners in Scotland are kept safe.”

In the wake of the tragedy at Grenfell, the Scottish Government created a cladding remediation scheme aimed at ensuring such a fire never happened north of the border. Earlier this year, a Bill was passed to speed up the process, which had been criticised as too slow.

Mr McLennan added: “Scotland already has stringent safety regulations to keep people safe, but we are not complacent.

“Where immediate action is needed to safeguard people we will ensure appropriate actions are taken to manage risks, pending longer-term remediation works.

“Subject to the devolution of the necessary powers, we will establish a Building Safety Levy in Scotland, equivalent to a levy that will be introduced by the UK Government in England.

“The levy will provide vital revenues to support the funding of our cladding remediation programme.”

A man whose sister was killed in the Grenfell Tower tragedy has said the inquiry has delayed the justice owed to him and other bereaved families.

“No one has asked me if I wanted this inquiry”, Karim Khalloufi, whose sister Khadija was among the 72 who died, told a press conference in central London.

“Maybe I will die without having justice,” he added at the briefing given by members of a support group for the next of kin of some the 72 people killed in the tower block blaze in 2017.

Another victim’s relative told the event at the Royal Lancaster London hotel he wanted manslaughter charges to be brought, adding “nothing else will do”.

The Crown Prosecution Service has said decisions on potential criminal prosecutions are not expected for another two years.

About 70 firefighters are tackling a blaze at two flats on the ninth and 10th floors of a tower block, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

The brigade has received more than 50 calls to the fire in Catford, in Lewisham, south-east London, as images on social media showed flames and smoke billowing from the building.

An LFB statement said: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are tackling a fire at a block of flats on Rosenthal Road in Catford.

“Two flats on the ninth and 10th floors of the building are currently alight.

“The brigade’s 999 control officers have taken almost 50 calls to the blaze.

“The brigade was called at 12.51pm. Fire crews from Forest Hill, Greenwich, Deptford, Lee Green and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

“The cause of the fire is not known at this time.”

It comes on the day of the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry into the 2017 fire which killed 72 people.

Business Minister Sarah Jones has told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One that the Grenfell Inquiry report is “incredibly damning, and it will take a while for us to just absorb the complexity of it and make sure we’re doing absolutely the right thing in response”.

She said that the “complacency of building safety” has left people living in unsafe conditions, and that the Government is going to “set out an acceleration plan” for the removal of at-risk cladding this autumn.

She added that the “legal wrangling has to stop” and “we have to make sure the freeholders, the developers, they’re all doing the things that they should do to make these buildings safe”.

Shadow Veterans Minister Andrew Bowie, asked is the Tory Party accepts the specific criticism of the coalition government under David Cameron and its focus on “cutting red tape,” said: “I’m reading the report for the first time.

“We all remember very vividly that dreadful morning.

“My heart goes out to those people reading this report and the litany of failures by governments over decades.

“I think fault and blame lies at the door of many organisations, many parties, many governments of different colours, and I think that we need to take time to absorb the entire report.”

Pressed on the question of the Cameron government’s drive towards deregulation, he said: “There’s going to be a Metropolitan Police inquiry into the findings of this report. I don’t want to get drawn into specifics, obviously.”

Asked if he thinks there could be a criminal inquiry into the Government, he said: “I simply don’t know, I think we’ve got to see how this plays out.”

Angela Rayner promised to “work tirelessly” to “deliver a stronger culture of safety” following the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who also serves as Housing Secretary, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “We remember the 72 innocent lives lost in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. My thoughts are with the bereaved families, the survivors and residents in the immediate community.

“As Keir Starmer said, on behalf of the British state we apologise to each and every one of them.

“The Grenfell community has campaigned tirelessly to push for justice & change.

“My promise to them is to work tirelessly, with urgency & care, to deliver a stronger culture of safety across the system from top to bottom.”

Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, said deaths at Grenfell Tower in his constituency were the result of individuals and organisations that were “systematically dishonest and put profit before people’s lives”.

He told MPs: “This is a very painful day for the community. Prime Minister, the shameless merry-go-round of buck-passing that has happened for the last seven years since Grenfell must now come to an end.

“So I want to thank you for your personal commitment to drive the lasting change and to hold people accountable.”

He added: “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?”

Sir Keir Starmer responded: “I can confirm that we will do everything to make sure there is full accountability, including criminal accountability where appropriate.

“I do remind the House that notwithstanding the strong findings in the report, it is the last thing now that the victims, bereaved and the community want or need is for anything to go wrong with possible legal proceedings, so we must all bear that in mind, but I absolutely understand the sentiment, and in relation to the contracts, I stand by what I said in my statement.”

Emma O’Connor, who lived on the 20th floor of the Grenfell Tower with her partner – who also cares for her because she has mobility issues – has said that there was “a lot of emotion” in the room as the inquiry report was read out today.

The pair escaped the fire shortly after it broke out because they heard the sound of sirens, and spent the rest of the evening watching as it went up in flames.

She told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One: “It was kind of surreal that it’s over; we’ve waited so long […] so we’re just happy that it’s out now.”

She said she is “very satisfied that the people responsible have been held to account,” but added that she would “definitely” like to see “all of the people that were involved in cladding [the tower], I want their pensions stripped, their working pension, and they can live with the bog standard one and feel how it feels to be a person in social housing, to start having respect for those [whose] lives they’ve taken away.”

Asked if she accepts the apology from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which was issued today, she said: “It’s too little too late really.

“The council and the organisations that are in charge, they think that aesthetics come before lives,” referencing the fact that the flammable cladding was added to make the building look more attractive.”

Asked what the night of the fire was like for her, she said that she and her partner were “incredibly lucky to get out” because the flames started moving up the building in the minutes after they escaped.

She said that she is still not feeling settled after the fire, as “I can barely go out on my balcony and enjoy the weather” because of the sound of fire engine sirens at the nearby Hammersmith and Kensington fire stations.

She added that she thinks about the tragedy “every single day,” and now wants the Government to “stop wasting time, start getting the cladding off the buildings”.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has said that “the Grenfell disaster is a tragedy that shames our whole society. The report lays bare failings of all parties over decades, and on behalf of my party, I am sorry.”

He told MPs: “We must all learn from it, and do everything we can to change the system to prevent more horrifying tragedies like this in the future.”

He says that the survivors and the bereaved have “waited far too long for this truth,” and that those responsible “must be investigated, tried and punished” if they have committed crimes.

He urged Sir Keir to give prosecutors “all the resources they need” to pursue criminal prosecutions.

“Even now, seven years on, essential work to make more than 2,300 buildings safe hasn’t even started. Can the PM tell the House what more will be done to remove dangerous cladding as quickly as possible, forcing those responsible to pay, not the tenants and leaseholders.

“We must tackle the big systemic issues that come up time and again in scandals like this, from Hillsborough to Horizon to infected blood.”

He welcomed the plan for a duty of candour over Grenfell, and asked if it would cover all public officials.

Sir Keir Starmer responded: “This has taken too long and it’s been too hard, and it’s not unique in that respect.

“It is really important that criminality is fully investigated, and we will give all support and resource that’s necessary to the relevant authorities.”

He said that the Government will “take time” to look through the inquiry recommendations and then come back to the House to report back.

He added that the removal of cladding “does need to be speeded up” and that the duty of candour is “very, very important”.

Mother of the House, veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott, has asked Sir Keir Starmer if he is “aware of how painful it must be” for the community affected by the Grenfell fire to still have the tower standing over them.

She also asked for assurances that the bereaved will get all of the support they need going forward, and that it will not take seven more years to bring those responsible to justice.

He says: “Decisions such as the tower, the memorial, whatever it may be, must be taken in consultation with the community.

“We will do that in addition to the support that they need.

“We cannot allow another seven years to pass before we take the necessary action.”

Mr Sunak says that the inquiry report today is a “damning indictment” of years of “state failures”.

“The work of the inquiry has painted a picture of systemic indifference, failure, and in some cases dishonesty and greed.”

He thanks the inquiry team “for the depth and rigour of their work”.

He says that the work to remediate at-risk buildings “must continue,” and that he was behind a £1bn fund for this end when he was in government.

Mr Sunak says that there must be attention paid to legislation that will make sure that the country’s fire and building safety regulations are “fit for purpose”.

“Allied to the need for continued improvement in the legal and regulatory frameworks, this report also shines a light on the significant failures of oversight,” including on testing and compliance.

He welcomes the Prime Minister’s resolution to support any criminal proceedings against firms that may have been dishonest about the combustible nature of the cladding, for example.

“There will be further lessons to learn from this inquiry; there will be difficult questions for all those responsible.

“I know that the PM will agree that we must approach those question with the honesty and directness they deserve.”

Mr Sunak says that a prime minister is “custodian of the state” and failures are felt “deeply,” so he wants to “extend my deepest apologies” to those affected by the tragedy.

Tory leader Rishi Sunak, responding to Sir Keir Starmer’s statement, says that the Prime Minister’s words are “powerful”.

He pays tribute to the survivors of the tragedy, and their “tenacity and strength that brought the truth to light.

“Their search for truth and justice is a noble one, and has our full support.

“I hope that whatever healing is possible from today, that every one of them takes some small measure of it.

“I know they will never forget the 72 people who tragically lost their lives, and nor shall we.”

Sir Keir says that the firms who “compromise” the safety of buildings will “face the consequences” and make sure that “social landlords are held to account for the decency and safety of their homes”.

“As this Government tackles the most acute housing crisis in living memory, building 1.5million new homes across the country, we will ensure those homes are safe, secure and built to the highest standards.

“A safe and decent home is a human right and a basic expectation, and the provision of that right should never be undermined by the reckless pursuit of greed.”

He says that the Grenfell victims were “entitled to a place of safety and security” but “time and again were ignored”.

Sir Keir says that a visit he paid to the tower made plain to him how “terrifying” the fire must have been, and “I felt just a sense of the anger that now rises through that building.

“It left me with the profound and very personal determination to make the legacy of Grenfell tower one of the defining changes to our country that I want to make as Prime Minister.”

He promises to support the survivors and families and “deliver a generational shift in the safety and quality of housing for everyone in this country”.

He vows to bring about a “rebalancing of power that gives respect to every citizen”.

Sir Keir says there needs to be “radical action to stop something like this ever happening again”.

He says that the Grenfell community has a “determination to move forward” and make sure that no other community suffers in the same way.”

The Prime Minister says that some changes have already been made, and that the Government is implementing the recommendations from the inquiry’s phase one report.

He says that ministers will look at all of the final recommendations “in detail” and respond in full within six months, updating Parliament annually on the progress of commitments made.

“There are still buildings today with unsafe cladding, and the speed at which this is being addressed is far, far too slow.”

He adds that “this must be a moment of change,” and that the Government will be “willing to force freeholders to assess their buildings and enter remediation schemes within set timetables, with a legal requirement to force action if that is what it takes.”

Sir Keir says that today is a “long-awaited day of truth, but it must now lead to a day of justice, justice for the victims and the families of Grenfell, but also a moment to reflect on the state of social justice in our country, and a chance for this Government of service to turn the page.

“This tragedy poses fundamental questions about the kind of country we are, a country where the voices of working-class people and people of colour have been repeatedly ignored and dismissed, a country where tenants of a social housing block in one of the richest parts of the land are treated like second-class citizens.”

Sir Keir quotes the inquiry report, speaking of the “systematic dishonesty” on the part of the cladding manufacturers, who engaged in “sustained strategies to manipulate the testing process”.

He also cites the “complete failure on the part of local authority building control,” and that the work of regulators was marred by poor oversight, and that the tenant management organisation “must bear a share of the blame,” as its only fire safety assessor had “misrepresented his experience and qualifications, some of which he invented”.

“In the light of such findings, it is imperative that there is full accountability, including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible.”

He says that the Government will write to all of the companies named in the inquiry report “as the first step to stopping them being awarded Government contracts”.

“It is vital that as we respond to this report today, we do not do or say anything that would compromise future prosecution.”

Sir Keir says that he wants to “start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you [the victims and those affected].

“It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty: to protect you and your loved ones.

“I am deeply sorry,” he says, adding that he is full of “admiration” for those who had to relive their experiences to give their testimonies to the Grenfell Inquiry.

Sir Keir Starmer is making a statement in the House of Commons about the Grenfell Inquiry.

He says he wants to thank the inquiry team, and repeats the report finding that those who lived in the tower were “badly failed”.

“In the face of an injustice so painful, so deserving of anger, words can begin to lose their meaning. Seven years still waiting for the justice you deserve,” he told the bereaved families and survivors present in the House of Commons today.

“You’ve been let down so badly, before, during and in the aftermath of this tragedy.”

He says that there was a “catalogue of appalling industry failures,” but also “decades of failure by central government”.

Former prime minister Baroness May said: “Today’s report into the Grenfell Tower fire is a significant step in providing the Grenfell community with the answers they deserve after 72 people died – deaths that we now know were avoidable – while the lives of their loved ones, and all those living in and around the tower, were changed irrevocably that night.

“I would like to thank Sir Martin (Moore-Bick) and his team for the dedication and tenacity they have shown in getting to the truth and for this forensic and powerful final report.

“I know that, while necessary, the inquiry process can be immensely distressing for all those involved.

“I would like to pay tribute to the bereaved families and the survivors for the dignity they have shown in the face of a tragedy so extreme, it is beyond our imagining.

“Children, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, good friends and loving partners, were all lost the night of the fire.

“Amid this devastation, the people of Grenfell not only began rebuilding their lives, they also consistently campaigned for justice for those who died.”