Grenfell tragedy: Government is failing to act on inquiry report, says London mayor

The mayor of London says the government has "failed to complete" any of the 12 recommendations directed at them during phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

Labour's Sadiq Khan said it was "vital the government act now" and pointed out London Fire Brigade has made 26 of the 29 requested of it in 2019 report.

A government spokesman called the claim "unfounded" and said progress was being made on implementing their response.

Seventy-two people died in the fire in a west London tower block in June 2017.

The initial report into the Grenfell Tower fire was published on 30 October 2019, following the conclusion of phase 1 of the inquiry - which looked at the events of the night of the fire, focusing on the fire itself, how it started and spread, and the emergency response to it.

The mayor said London Fire Brigade (LFB) had carried out all but three of the 29 recommendations directed at them - alongside other fire and rescue services - in the report three years ago.

Among the changes made by LFB in response to the report was the introduction of smoke hoods - to aid in the rescue of people in smoke-filled environments - and the deployment of 32m and 64m ladders to help tackle fires in high-rise buildings .

It has also rolled out an extensive training programme as it establishes new guidance for how the brigade responds to high-rise fires, including when the "stay put" guidance is no longer viable and a mass evacuation should be carried out, said the mayor.

The LFB was criticised in the report for its failure to revoke the "stay put" advice - in which residents were told to remain in their individual homes as the fire raged through the 24-storey tower block.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Khan said London Fire Brigade had made "significant changes" and appeared committed to putting the recommendations in place "as swiftly as possible".

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"However, I am extremely concerned the government has failed to complete a single recommendation from the first phase of the inquiry," he added.

"It is vital that the government and the housing and building industries act now and do not wait for the inquiry's next report to take action on such an important issue."

"Without faster action, the government is failing the Grenfell community, putting lives at risk and leaving residents feeling unsafe in their homes.

"The government, housing and building industries must not wait to implement the wholesale reforms that are needed to fix a broken system," said the mayor, adding no dates had been put forward by government.

Grenfell Tower marked the greatest loss of life in a residential fire since the Second World War

"This claim is unfounded," said a spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in response to Mr Khan.

"The government is making progress towards implementing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's Phase 1 recommendations.

"We're introducing the biggest improvements in building safety for a generation- with tougher regulations that will give more rights and protections for residents and make homes safer.

The statement pointed out that a newly-established building safety regulator will enforce tighter rules on high-rise residential buildings.

In the report, inquiry chairman and retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick included 12 recommendations aimed primarily at the government. These recommendations include vital changes to legislation and national guidelines on building regulations, including those that relate to fire safety.

The government accepted in principle all the recommendations, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising at the time of publication "not to allow the lessons of this tragedy to fall through the cracks" adding that Westminster would "legislate accordingly".

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry

It was created to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire at Grenfell Tower on the night of 14 June 2017.

The investigation has been separated into two phases: Phase 1 focused on the factual narrative of the events, and concluded on 12 December 2018.

Phase 2 is examining the causes of these events, including how Grenfell Tower came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread in the way identified by Phase 1.