Grenfell Tower Inquiry
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a British public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people and destroyed Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017.[1] It was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May on the day following the fire.[2]
Date
May announced on 29 June 2017 that the inquiry would be chaired by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, with the immediate priority "to establish the facts of what happened at Grenfell Tower in order to take the necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again". She promised that "No stone will be left unturned by this inquiry."[3] On 15 August 2017, the terms of reference of the Inquiry were announced. The first hearing opened on 14 September 2017.[4][5]
The Inquiry is divided into two phases: Phase 1 which addressed the events on the night of the fire, and the ongoing Phase 2 which will investigate the wider situation. Hearings for Phase 1 were held in June–December 2018 in Holborn, Central London. The report for the findings of Phase 1 was published on 30 October 2019.[6][7] The Phase 2 hearings commenced on 28 January 2020 at a location in Paddington. Hearings after 16 March 2020 were suspended until further COVID-19 resilient arrangements could be put in place.
Systemic racism[edit]
The Grenfell Next of Kin group, accuses the Royal Borough of Kensington of “contemptuous disregard” in the decision-making processes that led to the tragedy. It said “Systemic racism goes deep to the heart of the problem that caused the catastrophe. Questions around race and social class is at the heart of this truth-seeking and we would be grateful if you can revisit it and add it as an extra module.”[32]
Related actions[edit]
The Metropolitan Police Service are investigating possible criminal manslaughter and corporate manslaughter charges. They will delay handing the evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) until after the inquiry, but have already conducted at least 13 interviews under caution.[35] Questioning suggests that charges could be laid under the Health and Safety at Work Act which obliges employees to 'take reasonable care for the health and safety of anyone "who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work."[36] There are also threats of civil litigation. Arconic and Celotex are facing civil litigation from the bereaved in US courts, which lawyers estimate could cause a payout worth hundreds of millions of dollars.[35]