Some of those who have faced criticism over their response to the fire are sitting in at the inquiry's opening.

Kensington and Chelsea Council's leader, Elizabeth Campbell, is one of those.

She was photographed as she made her way past a small demonstration outside the Grand Connaught Rooms.

Image source, AFP

Sir Martin appeals to anyone in possession of information about the fire to do "whatever they can" to preserve the material and inform the inquiry team at once.

Sir Martin says he has received 300 applications from people who want core participant status, which entitles them to see evidence, and suggest lines of questioning.

He has already agreed on a number of them, but will continue to consider other applicants.

Sir Martin says he will only ask witnesses to give evidence once, so he will ask them about thoughts in the run-up to the fire and in the days after, as well as about what happened during the fire.

He says he'll "do everything possible" to ensure giving evidence does not result in further unnecessary suffering.

All the hearings will be conducted in public, unless the nature of the arguments requires otherwise, he says.

He says he understands lives have been "turned upside down" and there is a "great sense of anger and betrayal".

That is "entirely natural and understandable" but if the inquiry is to get to the truth, we must examine evidence "calmly and rationally".

He goes on to outline the scope:

• The cause and spread of the fire
• The design, construction and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower
• The scope and adequacy of the relevant regulations relating to high-rise buildings
• Whether the relevant legislation and guidance were complied with in the case of Grenfell Tower
• The actions of the local authority and other bodies before the tragedy
• The response of the London Fire Brigade to the fire and the response of central and local government in the aftermath

He says they are deliberately cast in broad terms, and were not intended to be exhaustive.

"It's for me to interpret terms of reference," he adds.

He goes on to talk about plans to appoint assistants, including some experts, and says he plans to name some of them "within the next week".

Sir Martin opened by saying:

"We are acutely aware that so many people died and that many of those who survived have been severely affected. We are also conscious that many have lost everything.

"The inquiry cannot undo any of that but it can and will provide answers to how a disaster of this kind could happen in 21st century London", he added.

He paid tribute to emergency services, who risked their own lives, and the local community, who have done so much to help and support each other.

Victoria Derbyshire

Labour MP David Lammy, who lost a close friend in the fire, says you have to have faith in the inquiry.

He said it needed to be uncompromising and look at people in power who had important roles.

The inquiry is under way. Sir Martin says the fire was "unprecedented in modern times".

"It's fitting we should remember with compassion those who died in the fire," Sir Martin says, as the room falls silent to remember.

Many of the bereaved and the survivors have gathered for the start of the inquiry. They are a mix of nervous, optimistic and angry. They are hopeful the chair of this inquiry will find out why their relatives died and most importantly for them who is to blame. In the minutes before the inquiry they are sitting talking to other relatives and survivors. But some are angry the main opening isn't being held in the community and they are sitting under ornate chandeliers in a venue some think is inappropriate.

Sir Martin is due to begin making his statement at 10:30 BST from the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London. Nearby, in Notting Hill Methodist Church, survivors and victims' families are gathering to watch proceedings live on a large screen.

Image source, Getty Images

• Educated at Christ's College, Cambridge
• Specialised in commercial law, involving maritime and land transport disputes
• Spent more than 20 years as a judge of the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal
• Retired in 2016
• In November 2014, he ruled Westminster City Council could rehouse a single mother-of-five more than 50 miles away, in Milton Keynes
• The decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in April 2015
• Faced calls to stand down from Grenfell families, and local Labour MP Emma Dent Coad

Image source, AFP

In the weeks and months after the tower fire on 14 June, details of what happened and why the fire spread so quickly emerged.

It started in a fridge freezer and spread quickly through the 24-storey tower block in North Kensington, in the early hours.

The cladding - installed on the outside of the block in a recent renovation - came under scrutiny, with experts saying a more fire-resistant type could have been used.

Forty fire engines and more than 200 firefighters tackled the blaze for 24 hours, but at least 80 people died and 151 homes were destroyed.

More on what happened at Grenfell Tower

We know something of the scope of the inquiry already. The terms of reference, which have been accepted by Theresa May, the prime minister, are:

• The cause and spread of the fire
• The design, construction and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower
• The scope and adequacy of the relevant regulations relating to high-rise buildings
• Whether the relevant legislation and guidance were complied with in the case of Grenfell Tower
• The actions of the local authority and other bodies before the tragedy
• The response of the London Fire Brigade to the fire and the response of central and local government in the aftermath

Welcome to our live coverage of the first day of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. Sir Martin Moore-Bick, head of the inquiry, will open proceedings with a 45 minute statement. There'll be no evidence today, or any questions afterwards, but he is expected to give more detail about the scope of the inquiry. Survivors and victims' families will be watching and hoping the inquiry will bring answers to their questions.