Bereaved Grenfell families still waiting for justice after ‘joke’ inquiry they ‘never asked for’

Families of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire spoke of their pain as they said the inquiry’s final report has not delivered justice – and called on Keir Starmer’s government to bring the charges and accountability they have waited seven years for.

In a hotel conference room next to Hyde Park on Wednesday (4 September), immediate families of the victims of the fire sat at tables holding the 10kg of the inquiry’s new, final report. The report’s publication brought confirmation that the Met Police will not bring prosecutions for at least another year.

Francis Dean, who said goodbye to Zainab Deen on the phone as she and her son Jeremiah died in the fire, said he hoped the new Labour government would help act urgently.

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“We are demanding justice for these lives that died,” said Dean.

“The government actually promised us justice. This was the previous government, and I do hope this current government can take up that lead and assure us that we are going to get justice.”

During an emotional press conference, those who had lost mothers, children, fathers, grandmothers and more in the tragedy spoke about the long wait for justice – and anger and sorrow at how the inquiry has delayed police proceedings. Before they began, Kimia Zabihyan, a representative for the Grenfell Next of Kin group, weighed the report.

Hisam Choucair, who lost six members of his family, said: “We did not ask for this inquiry… We did not know the consequences of having an inquiry and how that would impact on our justice moving forward.

“The government did not consult us in any way shape or form. This inquiry was forced on us. We had no say, we were not consulted.”

He added: “I am sorry to say but it has been a joke.”

Shahrukh Aqhlani, who lost his mother, said: “This illusion of learning from the mistakes has not brought about any concrete actions by the government, the removal of those claddings. 

“I fear that is because there are no prosecutions, there are no consequences for people who fail while they are in office. They can just go and ignore the public, ignore the thousands of buildings wrapped with cladding today.”

“This is the country and this is the system we have. Unless it is fixed, you are not safe in your own home.”

Maryam Adam, a survivor of the fire, said: “The inquiry is finished. Even now we don’t have anyone to fight for us.”

What the Grenfell Tower Inquiry said

The fire at Grenfell Tower, which claimed 72 lives in June 2017, was the culmination of “decades of failure”, the inquiry concluded, with central government, London Fire Brigade, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and cladding manufacturers all to blame. 

Grenfell Tower Inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said all contributed in one way or another either through “most cases through incompetence but some through dishonesty and greed”.

All of the 72 deaths in the fire were ruled avoidable and the people who lived in the tower “badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways”.

The government came under fire for failing to act on “warning signs” as long ago as 1991 following a fire at Knowsley Heights in Merseyside after evidence showed aluminium composite panels with unmodified polyethylene cores were dangerous.

By 2016, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was “well aware” of fire risks but “failed to act”.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Keir Starmer apologised to survivors and bereaved families on the behalf of the government.

“Seven years still waiting for the justice you deserve. I want to say very clearly on behalf of the country: you’ve been let down so badly before, during and the aftermath of this tragedy,” said Starmer.

He added: “It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty: to protect you and your loved ones. The people that we are here to serve. And I am deeply sorry.”

London Fire Brigade (LFB) was criticised for “a chronic lack of effective management and leadership” as well as a failure to share knowledge of the dangers of combustible materials.

LFB boss and London fire commissioner Andy Roe said the brigade had undergone “deep institutional change” and implemented all recommendations from the first phase of the report.

“We have introduced and embedded important new policies, new equipment, improved training and better ways of working, particularly in how we respond to fires in residential high-rise buildings and Londoners have been saved as a result,” said Roe.

“It is our commitment to remain listening, learning and a leading organisation. We are much better prepared to respond. We are not complacent. We are in dialogue with the government and the mayor of London as we all look at what must be done to ensure that buildings in London are safe.”

Hina Bokhari, chair of the London Assembly Fire Committee, said the London leaders will convene on 10 September “ensure that we never again see another tragedy like Grenfell”.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s representative Tenant Management Organisation was criticised or its “persistent indifference” to fire safety.

Council leader Elizabeth Council “apologised unreservedly” for the authority’s part in the tragedy.

She said: “We failed to keep people safe before and during the refurbishment and we failed to treat people with humanity and care in the aftermath. We will learn from every single criticism in the report.”

Some of the manufacturers behind the combustible materials as well as contractors and sub-contractors who worked on the refurbishment of the building – Arconic, Kingspan, Celotex and Rydon – were also criticised for their role in the fire.

Manufacturer Arconic was accused of “deliberately concealing” the true extent of the danger of materials while Kingspan and Celotex were identified as misleading people on the safety of their products.

Survivors and bereaved families in Grenfell United have called for the four firms to be banned from receiving central and local government money for procurement contracts.

“It’s a serious problem for the whole country when governments invite corporations to write their own rules,” the group said.

“The government must now exert control over the sector to prevent further dismantling of public safety, which used to be understood as their primary job, not aiding and abetting crooks and killers.”

The prime minister said today’s “day of truth” must lead to a “day of justice” and promised the government would write to all companies identified in the inquiry to stop them being avoided government contracts.

Starmer said the government would support the Metropolitan Police and prosecutors as they complete their investigation.

Police bosses earlier said criminal charges over the Grenfell fire would take “at least” another year to 18 months. 

“To secure justice for those who died and all those affected by the fire we must examine the report – line by line – alongside the evidence from the criminal investigation. As I said previously, this will take us at least 12-18 months,” said Cundy.

“I can’t pretend to imagine the impact of such a long police investigation on the bereaved and survivors, but we have one chance to get our investigation right.”

The final report brings an end to a process that started in May 2018 and has cost an estimated £173m.

The inquiry made 58 recommendations including the appointment of a single construction regulator, for the government to bring together all the functions relating to building safety under one department and for the definition of a higher-risk building to consider more than height. 

Sir Martin Moore-Bick said: “It is fitting to end these proceedings as they began in May 2018 with a reminder that the fire in Grenfell Tower was above all a human tragedy in which many lives were lost, families were torn asunder, homes were destroyed and a community was shattered.”

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