Grenfell made a death trap by dishonesty and failure
Evening Standard|September 04, 2024
Damning verdict on building firms and architects who ignored fire safety leaves way clear for criminal cases
Tristan Kirk and Nicholas Cecil
Grenfell made a death trap by dishonesty and failure

GRENFELL Tower was turned into a death trap by "dishonest" construction firms, architects and negligent politicians who ignored fire safety for decades, a public inquiry has found, paving the way for criminal prosecutions over the disaster.

Seventy-two Grenfell residents lost their lives when fire engulfed the west London tower block on June 14, 2017, in one of the worst disasters in modern British history.

A public inquiry stretched across seven years has exposed how a refurbishment of Grenfell prior to the fire left the block coated in cheap and highly flammable materials while warnings of an impending disaster from those who lived there were ignored.

In an utterly damning report, inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick has now concluded that architects, companies involving in the disastrous refubishment, and the local council in Kensington and Chelsea are to blame for fatal fire. Cost-cutting on the refurbshment was prioritised over safety, while the warning signs of previous tower block fires had been routinely ignored.

And he found the "enthusiastic" pursuit of deregulation under David Cameron's government had trumped the need for fire safety controls across the construction industry.

The Metropolitan Police has now promised to pick over Sir Martin's report as a team of nearly 200 officers pursue criminal prosecutions.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy, right, said: "We will be thorough and diligent in our investigation while moving as swiftly as possible. We I owe that to those who died."

"The fire at Grenfell Tower was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the contruction industry to look carefully into the danger of incorporating combustible materials into the external walls of high-rise residential buildings and to act on the information available to them," said Sir Martin.

この記事は Evening Standard の September 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Evening Standard の September 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

EVENING STANDARDのその他の記事すべて表示
Vamos Rafa! It's time to go for Spain's brave warrior
The London Standard

Vamos Rafa! It's time to go for Spain's brave warrior

'Shy and funny' Nadal bows out as sport's ultimate competitor

time-read
2 分  |
November 21, 2024
Does Angeball have a winning future at Spurs?
The London Standard

Does Angeball have a winning future at Spurs?

Head coach divides supporters with his ultra-attacking tactics

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024
The £5bn-a-year tax timebomb that's set to devastate London hospitality
The London Standard

The £5bn-a-year tax timebomb that's set to devastate London hospitality

The capital will bear the brunt of Rachel Reeves’s National Insurance raid

time-read
4 分  |
November 21, 2024
Live like a Queen...
The London Standard

Live like a Queen...

...in the house gifted to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII in 1540 and now onsale for 3.75 million

time-read
3 分  |
November 21, 2024
At home with...Matthew Williamson
The London Standard

At home with...Matthew Williamson

The designer’s Belsize Park flatis a grand canvas for his ever-changing colour palette

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024
Hidden London
The London Standard

Hidden London

The first time I made my way to Maison Assouline was with a broken foot, in a tragic boot and crutches.

time-read
3 分  |
November 21, 2024
Jameela Jamil on why New York will always have her heart...
The London Standard

Jameela Jamil on why New York will always have her heart...

..and her stomach. The actor and activist shares her favourite brunch spot, a secret bar and her brownstone fantasies

time-read
6 分  |
November 21, 2024
The London Standard

My life in bespoke suits

Back in the Eighties, suits were so wide that even the shoulder pads had shoulder pads. Suits back then were boxy, square, and designed to make you look like a quarterback, a bouncer or a tank.

time-read
4 分  |
November 21, 2024
Cher's wild world
The London Standard

Cher's wild world

The singer's memoir is full of jaw-dropping tales

time-read
4 分  |
November 21, 2024
'I was told I could stay in the UKthen kicked out of my asylum accommodation'
The London Standard

'I was told I could stay in the UKthen kicked out of my asylum accommodation'

As our appeal hits 1m, we turn the spotlight on an official policy that’s making newly recognised refugees homeless

time-read
7 分  |
November 21, 2024