Judith Burns
Home affairs reporter

Image source, Grenfell Tower inquiry

The bulk of the insulation on the tower was provided by company Celotex and installed by a contractor, Harley Facades.

Celotex made “false and misleading claims” and presented its product to Harley Facades as being safe and suitable for Grenfell, although “it knew that was not the case”, says the report.

During the testing of its product, it had used magnesium oxide boards because they did not burn - but didn’t reveal this in marketing literature.

Kingspan, whose insulation was used on a small section of the tower, also "misled the market" by not revealing the limitations of its product, says the report.

Judith Burns
Home affairs reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The report singles out manufacturer Arconic, which made the “extremely dangerous” rainscreen cladding which was fixed to the outside of Grenfell Tower.

“One very significant reason why Grenfell Tower came to be clad in combustible materials was systematic dishonesty on the part of those who made and sold the rainscreen cladding… and insulation,” says the report.

They engaged in “deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing processes, misrepresented data and misled the market,” the report finds.

New research by two inquiry experts concludes that the cladding was “by far the largest contributor” to the fire.

Arconic’s panels of Reynobond PE cladding were formed from metal sheets with a plastic layer in-between.

It was “extremely dangerous” when folded into box shapes to fit onto buildings (a common practice in construction), says the report.

Image source, PA Media

The inquiry's full Phase 2 report is 1,700 pages and weighs 10kg in its printed edition.

If you want to read it for yourself, an online version is available on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's website, external.

We've been digging into it and shortly we'll be bringing you some summaries of its key findings.

Firefighter Ricky Nuttal was one of the first responders at the scene of the fire.

Nutall and a colleague were tasked with attempting to rescue a person trapped on the 15th floor.

"It was 550C, I could feel my skin burning," he says, describing the "difficult environment" of the rescue operation.

"We made a decision that we couldn't rescue the person... When you make a decision to sacrifice effectively a human being, it's something you wrestle with daily," Nuttal says, adding it became a key factor for his poor mental health.

The long-awaited Grenfell inquiry report was published today, seven years on from the high-rise building fire that claimed the lives of 72 people in June 2017.

Here's a look at what you need to know about the report:

• The Grenfell inquiry blames "decades of failures" from governments, firms and the fire service for the disaster that unfolded in west London
• The inquiry's chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick says that all deaths in the fire were avoidable
• Grenfell residents were badly let down by those responsible for fire safety and there was a "failure on the part of the council"
• Manufacturers of cladding products – which were "by far the largest contributor" to the fire – are found to have engaged in "systematic dishonesty"
• The report also says that "incompetent" companies involved in the 2011 refurbishment of the tower – Studio E and Harley Facades – bear "significant" responsibility for the disaster
• The report said there was a "chronic lack of leadership" and an "attitude of complacency" at the London Fire Brigade
• The victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster were killed by toxic gases, not the fire itself, Moore-Bick says

Image source, Reuters

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called for "deep reflection and meaningful change" after the Grenfell Tower report.

He says it was "chilling" to read that "systematic dishonesty and refusal to listen to concerns" were in part to blame for the disaster.

He adds: "We must commit to building a housing system that is safe and fair for everyone in this country."

The Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) says "the gross imbalance of power and dismissal of residents is striking", in the response to the Grenfell inquiry report.

In a statement, ombudsman Richard Blakeway says that "respect and trust are integral to these findings" and that it "is clear residents’ complaints were dismissed and devalued".

He adds that the role of the landlord has changed and a "one-size fits all approach to housing and repairs is no longer viable", instead the report has highlighted the "need for human-centric provision of services by landlords".

The Metropolitan Police is committed to doing everything it can to secure justice for Grenfell victims, a senior officer has told the BBC.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy says he cannot guarantee criminal charges will be filed, but says officers will go through the inquiry report "line by line" to assess its impact on the force's investigation.

He adds that once the force has completed its investigation, it aims to "present the whole of the criminal case" to the Crown Prosecution Service. Pushed by BBC London about what offences officers are investigating, Cundy highlighted:

• corporate manslaughter against companies and organisations
• gross negligent manslaughter against individuals
• misconduct in public office against politicians or public servants
• some of the "most serious" health and safety offences

"We will follow evidence wherever it may go and present that case," he added.

The CPS has said no charges will be filed before 2026.

Ayshea Buksh
BBC London

For some of the bereaved families, the long-awaited report does not give them the answers they are after.

Paulos Tekle, his wife and two children were initially told to stay put by fire brigade operators and firefighters who came to their flat on the night of the fire.

They were eventually led out by fire crews, but their five-year-old son didn’t make it.

“There were three firefighters who were responsible [for us] that night who came and met us at the flat on the 18th floor but the inquiry didn’t invite them and that was a missed opportunity,” Tekle says.

He now forms part of an Ethiopian-Eritrean group of survivors and bereaved. The group lost 12 people that night, half of whom were children.

Tekle adds that the police now need to act swiftly to bring those responsible for the fire to justice.

Image source, PA Media

Theresa May – who was prime minister at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire and who ordered the inquiry – says she hopes the new Labour government will treat the findings as a priority.

"Government, national and local, regulators and the corporate industry must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy," she says in a statement.

She adds that while today is an "important milestone", for the families affected "the path to justice has not yet reached its end".

May has previously said that the initial response to the disaster – including from herself – was "not good enough".

At the time she was criticised for not meeting residents of the tower when she first visited the site, something she later said she regretted.

James Kelly
BBC London

Former Grenfell Tower resident Ed Daffarn says there isn’t much in the Grenfell inquiry's final report that he and other survivors did not already know.

“There was no Poirot moment. We knew in the days and weeks standing under the burning carcass of Grenfell that we were the victims of a system that put profit before people and treated people in social housing as sub-human,” he says.

He adds that the Grenfell development, the fire and response is defined by “incompetence, dishonesty and greed”.

Now that the granular detail of what happened has been revealed, Ed is calling on the Home Office to make funding available to the Met Police to accelerate the criminal investigation and get justice.

The Met has said it could be another 12-18 months before charges are brought in relation to Grenfell – around a decade on from the night of the fire.

Lucy Manning and Insaf Abbas
BBC News

Marcio Gomes managed to escape from the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower with his wife Andreia, who was seven months pregnant, and their two daughters - but their baby son Logan didn't survive and was stillborn.

Gomes said he was glad to see the truth written in black and white and now wants a police investigation.

"Sir Martin Moore-Bick [the Grenfell Inquiry chairman] took it to a certain line. I don't think he was able to cross that line," he said.

"I want the police now to step up significantly because before all we heard from the police was, 'we're waiting for the inquiry, we're waiting for the reports'. We want justice."

He became emotional remembering his stillborn son, Logan.

"It's good to hear, which I already knew, that Logan died peacefully. And I knew that from the doctor's reports. But there's something about hearing it in the inquiry as well."

One area of focus in the report is the Conservative-Lib Dem government's deregulation agenda, and how that impacted the department responsible for building regulation, led by Lord Pickles from 2010 to 2015.

The inquiry found the goal of cutting red tape “dominated” the department's thinking to such an extent that “even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded".

Lord Pickles told the inquiry he would have regarded it as “ludicrous” if civil servants thought the drive for deregulation covered building regulations.

Today, Lord Pickles says he hopes the lessons learned "ensure that such a tragedy never happens again", and adds: "My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and their families.”

James Kelly
Reporting from London

Emma O’Connor, who was on the 20th floor before she escaped the fire, says she is glad inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick laid the blame “where it’s supposed to be”.

Describing the mood in the room as the chair delivered the remarks, she says: “It was quiet, as usual, as it’s a court setting, but there were also a lot of silent tears.

"You just want to grab some of your neighbours and tell them, ‘it’s going to be alright’.

Echoing a sentiment expressed by many survivors and those left bereaved, she says: “The real fight continues”.

The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Borough council, where the Grenfell Tower is located, has apologised "unreservedly" to those impacted by the fire.

Councillor Elizabeth Campbell says the inquiry "has laid bare the chain of events that led to that night" and shows how tenants were "let down" by those responsible for their safety.

"Put simply, we could, and should, have done more to keep people safe in their homes and to care for all of our residents in the aftermath of the fire," she adds.

Campbell says the council "failed to keep people safe before and during the refurbishment" of the block, or treat them with "humanity and care" in the aftermath.

She continues: "We fully accept the findings, which are a withering critique of a system broken from top to bottom.

"It is crystal clear - profits were put before people, clear warning signs were ignored, and Grenfell was wholly avoidable, with failure at every single level."

Judith Burns
Home affairs reporter

We have heard from some of the companies which have been strongly criticised in today's report.

• Arconic, which supplied the cladding, says it will continue to engage with further legal processes but rejects “any claim” that its subsidiary Arconic Architectural Products (AAP) “sold an unsafe product”. A statement continued: “AAP did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer or the public"

• Celotex, which supplied insulation, says it has “reviewed and improved” process controls, quality management and its approach to marketing
• Kingspan, which also supplied insulation, says it has "long acknowledged the wholly unacceptable historical failings that occurred in part of our UK insulation business”, saying it remained committed to providing safe and sustainable building solutions and working with government

Several key figures - including London Mayor Sadiq Khan - have called for the companies held responsible for the fire to be banned from selling their products to central and local government projects.

Earlier we heard from Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, who said the report was “vindication” of what those impacted by the tragedy have called for.

Wrack described the treatment of tenants at Grenfell Tower as “appalling” and referenced how landlords “ignored” warnings about fire safety.

He said warnings the union had made for several years about deregulation in building rules are "at the heart of this report" and he is "not completely shocked" by its findings.

Wrack says the "appalling" state of fire safety in Britain pre-dates the Grenfell fire, and says his union was ignored at "the very highest level of authority".

He says regular London Fire Brigade staff were "badly let down" by the government and "failed" by the service's managers.

Khan praises the government's pledge to respond to all of the report's recommendations within six months, as well as Keir Starmer's commitment to support the Crown Prosecution Service and Metropolitan Police with criminal inquiries.

London's mayor acknowledges the length of the process has been one of the hardest things for victims. The CPS has confirmed it won't be in a position to decide whether to charge anyone with a criminal offence until late 2026.

"I share their frustrations," Khan adds, but emphasises that police and prosecutors should not rush their investigations.

He also pledges extra support for those looking into the tragedy, adding that it is important everyone recognises survivors' wishes for "people to be held to account".

Image source, PA Media

We’re now hearing from London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who had been in office for just over a year when the fire took place.

Khan, who is wearing a green heart-shaped badge in memory of the victims, says reading the report was "gut-wrenching".

Asked about buildings in London which are still unsafe, he says the city has more than double the number of tall buildings than the rest of the country has put together, and that's one of the reasons he has been "frustrated and angry at the lack of action over the last seven years".

Khan calls on the government to ensure any company named in the report cannot work with the government or other public bodies, and therefore receiving taxpayers' money.

Just before 01:00 BST on 14 June 2017, a fire caused by a fridge broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat in Grenfell Tower, which is located in North Kensington, west London.

Within minutes, it had spread to cladding that had been added to the 23-storey building’s exterior in a recent renovation.

By 03:00, it had engulfed all four sides of the block. Most of the upper floors were well alight.

In total, the fire killed 72 people and destroyed 151 homes in the tower and surrounding areas.