Grenfell Tower report: 'Decades of failure' by government and construction companies led to death of 72 people

Grenfell Tower inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said that the government and construction companies had failed to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings, which contributed to the fatal incident. Grenfell Tower was covered in combustible materials when it went on fire seven years ago.

Sir Martin said that “systematic dishonestly” by construction firms led to the 24-storey tower being cover in the material, with the inquiry chairman specifically calling out the “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing, misrepresentation of the data and misleading the market.

He said: “We conclude that the fire at Grenfell Tower was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction 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.” Sir Martin added in his conclusion that the “simple truth” is that all deaths were avoidable and that those living in the high-rise were “badly failed” by authorities. He added that these authorities acted “in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed”.

The report noted that cutting red tape around regulation was “enthusiastically supported” by politicians in charge, despite there being warnings of potentially fatal consequences following the fatal Lakanal House fire in 2009 that killed six people. Recommendations made following the Lakanal House fire were “not treated with any sense of urgency”, while “legitimate concerns” were “repeatedly met with a defensive and dismissive attitude by officials and some ministers”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had said that the final report showed “substantial and widespread failings”. He said in a statement to parliament: “The Government will carefully consider the report and its recommendations, to ensure that such a tragedy cannot occur again.

“I hope that those outside Government will do the same. Given the detailed and extensive nature of the report, a further and more in-depth debate will be held at a later date.”