Phase 2 Grenfell Tower Inquiry report released

This morning the long awaited Phase 2 Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report was published.

The long-awaited document presents findings on how the fire was able to spread so quickly across the West London building, after a 2019 report pointed to combustible cladding as a key factor.

In his remarks introducing the report, Sir Moore-Bick, the Chairman said: the simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of ways and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants.

In the Phase 1 report , Sir Moore-Bick found that the principal reason why the flames spread so rapidly up, down and around the building was the presence of the aluminium composite material (ACM) rainscreen panels with polyethylene cores, which acted as a source of fuel. The principal question answered in the Phase 2r report is how the fire happened, how Grenfell Tower came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread in the way it did, leading to the catastrophe that killed 72 people, the worst residential fire since World War Two.

Evidence across the 80 weeks of hearings, expert evidence, and documentation stretching over 30 years is considered to answer the key questions of who was to blame and what will be done.

The report is vast and detailed, comprising well over 1600 pages. It will take weeks for its significance to be fully considered. Broken into sections, dealing with the regulatory landscape; testing and marketing of products; the management of fire safety ; the refurbishment; the actions of the London Fire Brigade and the fire testing regime, the culpability of key players is considered. Government, those responsible for testing and certification, manufacture and supply, RBKC, the TMO, Studio E, Harley, Exova and the LFB are all held to have contributed to events.

Wider themes are also explored, including RBKC’s response to the disaster in the immediate aftermath, and institutional and societal matters relating to social housing.

A large section of the report deals with those who lost their lives, and examines the manner of each of their passing. No further conclusions are reached as to the matter of upward migration and no further findings are made with relation to Flat 113.

Emma Wilson, Principal Lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who represents three of the families affected by Grenfell says: "The recommendations made, to prevent such a disaster happening again, include simplification of construction regulations and creating of a single independent body headed by a Construction Regulator, who would report to a single Secretary of State and that support is provided by a Chief Construction Advisor to the Secretary of State. Recommendations across other areas include creation of an independent college of Fire and Rescue to provide fire service training to nationally approved standards. A recommendation with regard to personal emergency evacuation plans ( PEEPs ) is reiterated.

“Given the failure to respond to earlier recommendations made, we are pleased to see the recommendation that the government be legally required to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, coroners and public inquiries together with a description of the steps taken in response. We would suggest that this goes further, with the implantation of a National Oversight Mechanism and the creation of an independent public body who would be responsible for following up the recommendations made.”