UK PM apologizes for ‘avoidable’ Grenfell Tower tragedy

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has apologized to the families of the victims of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, after an official inquiry found systematic failures in the government’s regulation policies.

The blaze in a 24-story social housing block in North Kensington, London killed 72 people, 18 of whom were children. The tragedy caused widespread outrage, with many accusing the authorities of neglecting the fire safety rules at Grenfell.

The public inquiry, the results of which were published on Wednesday, confirmed that multiple government failings had contributed to the disaster, including the use of combustible exterior insulation by construction companies.

“I want to say very clearly, on behalf of the country, you have been let down so badly, before, during and in the aftermath of this tragedy,” Starmer said at the House of Commons. He reiterated the words of Martin Moore-Bick, who led the inquiry, saying that “the deaths that occurred were all avoidable.”

The government will stop awarding contracts to firms criticized in Moore-Bick’s report, the Labour leader said. He noted, however, that unsafe cladding is still being used in the UK, and that “the speed at which this is being addressed is far, far too slow.”

Moore-Bick noted in his report that the blame lies with the private contractors, the local authorities and the government at large. The firms showed “systematic dishonesty” and “engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing process,” he said. The local authorities failed for years “to take basic steps to ensure that the certificates it issued were technically accurate.” The government, meanwhile, was guilty of “decades of failure” amid its push for less regulation on private companies, despite knowing full well the risks of combustible insulation, the inquiry found.

While the report made recommendations aimed at preventing similar disasters in the future, its findings cannot directly be used to prosecute anyone involved.

In 2020, the attorney general ruled that no oral evidence given before the inquiry could be used in later criminal proceedings, provided that no false testimony was given.

In a statement in reaction to the report, the Metropolitan Police noted that its investigation into the blaze is entirely separate from the public inquiry. The criminal investigation “operates under a different legal framework and so we cannot simply use the report’s findings as evidence to bring charges,” the Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said on Wednesday.

Commenting on the length of the investigation, Cundy stressed that police “have one chance” to get the investigation right, adding that it will take at least two to three more years. No one has been charged in connection to the tragedy as of yet, however.