Grenfell tragedy families deserve ‘highest standards’ as wait for criminal charges goes on

Grenfell survivors and bereaved families deserve the “highest standards” of building safety following the disaster, government ministers have announced, as their wait for justice continues.

It’s almost a decade since the 2017 tragedy, which killed 72 people, but no one has been charged in connection with the fire, which “should never have happened”, according to building safety minister Samantha Dixon.

Dixon announced a number of measures designed to address the building safety crisis that has followed the fire, uncovering thousands of buildings around Britain as fire risks.

The government has set out plans to create a public engagement policy to improve the current building safety systems based on recommendations made in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.

Ministers plan to launch a new building professions strategy in 2027 to set out “a clear view on the skills, experience and accountabilities required of those across the building process” in a bid to improve safety standards.

That will be the first step in creating a new college of fire and rescue to boost the professionalism and skills of leaders and firefighters across the fire and rescue sector.

“High standards, responsibility and safety must underpin the whole building process, upheld by everyone across the profession. The measures announced today are an important step to cementing these standards and delivering on our commitment of safe homes fit for the future,” said Dixon, who is also fire and democracy minister.

The Grenfell Inquiry, the final report of which was released in September 2024, laid out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to the tower becoming an extreme fire risk. It explained that the unsafe cladding on the building was found to be the “principle” reason for the fire’s rapid spread.

The final 1,700-page report of the six-year public inquiry into the fire was published in 2024, finding that the government had been warned about the dangerous cladding before the tragedy.

Since the report was published, no one has been charged in connection with the disaster.

An update from the Metropolitan Police said the investigation is on track to submit all files for charging decisions to the Crown Prosecution Service by the end of September.

A total of 220 investigators are working on the case, investigating 15,000 individuals and 700 organisations.

Police said 57 people and 20 organisations are suspects for criminal offences, ranging from corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, misconduct in public office, fraud and health and safety matters.

“While our timescales are on track, we know for the bereaved, survivors and residents, who remain at the heart of everything we do, it has been a very long wait to get to this point,” said the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Kevin Southworth.

“We cannot begin to understand the impact upon them of such a lengthy investigation, running alongside a public inquiry, but they have our commitment we have worked as quickly as possible while ensuring our investigation is meticulous to present the very best possible evidence to the CPS for charging decisions.”

In response, a Grenfell United spokesperson said: “For our community, this is not news we meet with celebration.

“We meet it with caution, grief and determination. We have waited almost a decade for accountability. No family should have to wait over 10 years for justice for their loved ones, if it comes at all.”

Read more:

• ‘Another Grenfell will happen’ say survivors still fighting for justice
• Grenfell: in the words of survivors – ‘We want this play to sit alongside the campaign for justice’
• Seven years after Grenfell Tower fire: Residents fear they’ll die before seeing justice

After the inquiry report was published, the government said it was acting on the recommendations laid out to improve building safety, with then-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner stating in 2025 that the government was “acting on all of the inquiry’s findings”, and was taking “tough action” to “ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again.”

The government’s latest update includes a call for evidence, which has been launched as part of a new building professions strategy, exploring how people working during every stage of the building process, from designers to contractors. 

Other measures announced include plans to work with the building control sector in order to reform the system to “protect future growth” and maintain standards. In addition, a public engagement policy advises ministers and senior civil servants not to attend certain public events with the seven most highly criticised companies in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase Two Report.

The new measures announced follows the King’s Speech in May which confirmed plans to introduce a Remediation Bill to speed up the remediation of historic unsafe cladding for residents.

Guy Parker, UK housing advocacy manager at Habitat for Humanity GB, told the Big Issue: “The tragedy of Grenfell should be a reminder forever that everyone has the right to a safe place to live, and that we must both set and then uphold the highest standards. Press releases and consultation must lead to action and a fully resourced, ongoing commitment to putting the safety and lives of our most vulnerable neighbours first.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Reader-funded since 1991 – Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.

Every day, our journalists dig deeper, speaking up for those society overlooks.

Could you help us keep doing this vital work? Support our journalism from £5 a month.