Summary

  • Angela Rayner - deputy PM and housing secretary - says work to fix unsafe buildings must be speeded up, after a damning report into the Grenfell fire

  • Rayner says she was "absolutely astonished" to learn how many buildings still have unsafe cladding

  • Of 4,630 identified buildings in England, only 29% have been fixed, and work hasn't started on half the buildings, she says

  • Grenfell United - a group that represents some victims of the 2017 fire that killed 72 - people - says "justice has not been delivered"

  • Speaking after the inquiry report on Wednesday, the victims' group calls for "those who are truly responsible are held to account and brought to justice"

  • Final decisions on potential criminal charges won't be made until 2026, the CPS says

  • Warning: This page contains distressing details

  1. Starmer to make statement to MPs shortlypublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 4 September

    We'll be hearing directly from the prime minister in a few minutes' time.

    Keir Starmer is currently taking part in the first Prime Minister's Questions since Parliament returned from its summer break.

    He is due to respond to the inquiry's findings to MPs in the House of Commons from 12:30 BST.

    We'll be streaming it at the top of this page, or you can follow text updates in the feed below.

  2. Starmer pays tribute to victims ahead of full statement to Commonspublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 4 September

    In Parliament, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the thoughts of the House are with the victims of the Grenfell disaster.

    In a written statement a little earlier, Starmer noted the final report had found "substantial and widespread failings" and thanked the inquiry for its work.

    He said: "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."

    He's due to give a full statement after Prime Minister's Questions wrap up, and we'll bring you all the key lines on that here from 12:30.

  3. The key lines from inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bickpublished at 12:06 British Summer Time 4 September

    Let's return now to the damning statements on the final Grenfell inquiry report from chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

    Here are the key lines:

    • All 72 deaths in the Grenfell fire were "avoidable" and people living there were "badly failed" by those responsible for their safety and that of the tower
    • Moore-Bick said they don't all bear the same level of responsibility, adding that their failings can be attributed in most cases to "incompetence" and others to "dishonesty and greed"
    • The government and others failed to give proper consideration to the dangers of some kinds of cladding over decades, he added
    • Manufacturers of the cladding engaged in "systematic dishonesty", the chairman said, also accusing them of misleading customers about their safety
    • The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's tenant management organisation "manipulated" an appointment process for its favoured architect, who had no experience of installing cladding on high-rise buildings
    • There was a "chronic lack" of leadership at the London Fire Brigade, including too much emphasis on process and an "attitude of complacency"
  4. 'We will never give up fighting for justice'published at 12:02 British Summer Time 4 September

    Natasha Elcock reading a statement, other members of Grenfell United are standing behind herImage source, PA Media

    Grenfell United's spokeswoman's statement concludes with a heartfelt message to the 54 adults and 18 children whose "lives got cut short in the most violent way":

    Quote Message

    We will never give up fighting for justice for you, and you will be forever in our hearts."

    In a statement released earlier, the group says the inquiry report shows they "were failed in most cases by incompetence and in many cases by calculated dishonesty and greed".

    Their statement also said that while the report is a "significant chapter" in the years since the fire, "justice has not been delivered" as they restated their call for police and prosecutors to "ensure that those who are truly responsible are held to account and brought to justice".

  5. Police and prosecutors need to 'deliver justice'published at 12:01 British Summer Time 4 September

    She urges Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his government to "break bad habits" of previous governments and implement systematic change, adding the "time to address this is already three decades too late".

    "You must finally make this the turning point for Britain," she adds.

    Then Elcock turns to the police and Crown Prosecution Service. She says they must "deliver justice and bring charges against those who are culpable for the deaths of our loved ones".

  6. Every death was 'avoidable' - victims' grouppublished at 11:59 British Summer Time 4 September

    Natasha Elcock of Grenfell United points to the inquiry's finding that every single loss of life in the fire was "avoidable", and the safety of those living there “was never a priority”.

    “We lost friends, neighbours and loved ones in the most horrific way,” she adds, through “greed, corruption, incompetence and negligence”.

  7. Group representing some fire victims gives a statementpublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 4 September

    Natasha Elcock reading out a statement, other members of Grenfell united are standing behind herImage source, PA Media

    Natasha Elcock, a representative for the Grenfell United group, has begun reading out a statement responding to the report's findings.

    She says today has been the conclusion of a painful, years-long process, which speaks to a lack of competence, understanding and a "fundamental failure of the most basic duties of care".

    The group also blames the "greed of an industry" that has been "poorly regulated" by successive governments, which she says were warned about the risks of dangerous cladding as far back as 1991.

  8. Names of all 72 Grenfell Tower victims read outpublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 4 September

    Cachella Smith
    Live reporter

    The briefing has just concluded with a poignant moment.

    The chair says he wants to remind people the fire was a "personal tragedy" for those who lived in and around the tower.

    Moore-Bick slowly reads out the names of all those who lost their lives.

    Many in the room bowed their heads to listen as he did so.

    We're expecting to hear from some of those impacted by the tragedy in the new few minutes.

    Media caption,

    Grenfell victims' names read out as inquiry concludes

  9. 'A failure to treat residents as people'published at 11:47 British Summer Time 4 September

    We are hearing from the other two members of the inquiry panel, Thouria Istephan and Ali Akbor.

    Istephan says those in the construction industry who "do not feel the weight of responsibility for keeping people safe" are "in the wrong job".

    She says the "problem of incompetence is widespread - this change needs everyone in the construction industry to play their part".

    Istephan's voice breaks as she says the process has "left a mark on me as a person and professional which will last far beyond this inquiry".

    Akbor also tells of the "impact" the inquiry has had on him personally.

    He says there was "a failure to treat residents as people in the aftermath of the fire". He calls on authorities to "treat Grenfell as a touchstone going forward" and to "act with professional, competence, and put people first".

  10. Victims were killed by toxic gases, not the fire itself, says chairpublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 4 September

    This post contains distressing details.

    Moore-Bick now turns to part nine of the report, which he says is the "most personal" and contains the "most difficult reading": it deals with circumstances surrounding the deaths of those who perished in the fire.

    The fire was above all a "human tragedy", he emphasises, in which many lives were lost, families torn asunder, homes destroyed and a community shattered.

    He says although this may make for "painful reading", those who lost relatives and friends naturally feel a need to know as much as possible.

    "We are satisfied that all those who died in the building were overcome by toxic gases produced by the fire," he says.

    With expert assistance, he says a reasonably accurate time of death has been established in each case.

    He adds all those whose bodies were damaged by the fire "were already dead by the time it reached them".

  11. Construction industry needs 'fundamental change'published at 11:32 British Summer Time 4 September

    Moore-Bick says some steps have already been taken to respond to failures identified, but more should be done to "bring about a fundamental change" in the construction industry.

    Some of the recommendations he lists include:

    • Appointing a construction regulator to oversee all aspects of the construction industry
    • Bringing responsibility for all aspects of fire safety under one government department
    • Mandatory fire safety strategies for higher-risk buildings
    • Establishing a college of fire and rescue
  12. For grieving families, it has all led to this momentpublished at 11:30 British Summer Time 4 September

    Tom Symonds
    Home affairs correspondent

    I’m sitting in the inquiry room as Sir Martin Moore-Bick gives his statement.

    Dozens of familiar faces are here, people whose lives have been changed forever by the Grenfell disaster.

    Some have followed every twist and turn of the six years of hearings which led to this moment.

    There are three different groups affected. People bereaved, those who survived, and residents of the Lancaster West Estate, where the aftermath of the fire continues to dominate the area.

    They were able to read the report yesterday and we’ll be getting their first reactions shortly.

  13. Victims of fire 'badly let down' in aftermathpublished at 11:29 British Summer Time 4 September

    Grenfell Tower residents were "badly let down by organisations that should have protected them", the inquiry finds.

    Moore-Bick singles out Kensington and Chelsea Borough council for particularly criticism, which should have had plans in place to deal with the emergency but did not.

    The council did not have the capacity to identify those who needed accommodation and assistance and could not meet the "immediate needs" of those in need.

    Instead, it was local voluntary and community organisations that filled the gap by providing rest centres and assistance to those in need, he adds.

    The government later brokered an arrangement where the city town clerk took control of the situation.

  14. 'Chronic lack of leadership and attitude of complacency at LFB'published at 11:27 British Summer Time 4 September

    Turning to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the chair says there were “deficiencies” in areas including the organisation and management of the control room, the training of control room officers and the collection of information needed to enable crews to prepare effectively to respond to fires.

    The primary cause of those problems was a “chronic lack of effective leadership”, combined with an undue emphasis on process and “an attitude of complacency”, he adds.

  15. Housing company manipulated process of appointing architect, says chairpublished at 11:24 British Summer Time 4 September

    Moore-Bick says the council's housing company (or TMO) manipulated the process of appointing an architect to carry out the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower so it could appoint its chosen firm, Studio E.

    The chair says the architectural firm had "no experience" of installing cladding on high-rise buildings, and it was their responsibility to ensure the materials were suitable.

    The retired judge goes on to describe everyone involved in the process having an "unacceptably casual approach to contractual relations".

    None of their employees working on the project understood the building regulations or industry guidance available at the time, he adds.

    Moore-Bick also says the TMO failed to get final fire safety report, which was "probably critical".

  16. 'Grenfell residents badly let down by those responsible for fire safety'published at 11:22 British Summer Time 4 September

    Grenfell Tower residents were "badly let down" by those responsible for fire safety, and there was a "failure on the part of the council to scrutinise fire safety adequately".

    He says Robert Black, the chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, failed to keep the TMO and council informed on matters of fire safety.

  17. Housing company 'distrusted' its own tenantspublished at 11:20 British Summer Time 4 September

    The chair says the local council's tenant management organisation (TMO) was "badly run" and "failed" to respond to criticisms of its treatment of residents, which were contained in independent reports in 2009.

    Moore-Bick says relations between the TMO and residents were marked by "distrust" and "bitter confrontation" before the disaster.

    For relations to "deteriorate" to such an extent reflects a "serious failure" on its part to observe its basic responsibilities, he adds.

  18. Inquiry chair details 'systematic dishonesty' from manufacturerspublished at 11:19 British Summer Time 4 September

    The inquiry chair says warning signs emerged as early 1991 that some kinds of materials, in particular aluminium composite material panels with unmodified polyethylene cores, were "dangerous".

    There was a failure on the part of the government and others to give proper consideration at an early stage to the dangers of using combustible materials in the walls of high-rise buildings, including failing to amend "in an appropriate way" the statutory guidance on the construction of external walls.

    "That is where the seeds of the disaster were sown," he says.

    He also criticises "systematic dishonesty" on the part of manufacturers, and their attempts to mislead purchasers.

    That approach to marketing was compounded by two of the bodies that provided certificates of compliance with building regulations.

  19. Failings go back many years, inquiry chair sayspublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 4 September

    Moore-Bick emphasises that not all those he listed "bear the same degree of responsibility" for the disaster.

    He then says the report shows they all "contributed in one way or another" to the tragedy, adding that mostly this was through "incompetence" - but attributes some of the failings to "dishonesty and greed".

    The former judge adds that these failings went back over many years, which in part contributed to the amount of time it has taken for the inquiry to conclude.

  20. All deaths in the fire were 'avoidable'published at 11:13 British Summer Time 4 September

    Moore-Bick says phase two of the inquiry included looking at the development of the fire and the contributions of the different materials used in the cladding.

    He says another important aspect of it was to investigate in as much detail as possible the circumstances surrounding those who died in the disaster.

    He says the “simple” truth is that all of their deaths were “avoidable”.

    Moore-Bick adds that those in Grenfell Tower were “badly failed” over a number of years in “a number of different ways” by those who were responsible for the safety of the building and its occupants.

    Among those, he lists the government, the tenant management organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, those who manufactured and supplied the materials used in the refurbishment, those who certified their suitability for use on high-rise buildings, the architect, the principal contractor and some of its sub-contractors and the London Fire Brigade.