Grenfell Tower fire: Relatives call for day of remembrance

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry started in September 2017

Relatives of the 72 people who died in the fire at the Grenfell Tower in west London are calling for a national day of remembrance, an inquiry has heard.

A lawyer said on their behalf they also want an apology from companies found to be at fault over the 2017 disaster.

The external cladding of the building caught alight, allowing the fire to spread rapidly.

In the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's closing speeches, Danny Friedman KC described it as a "disaster made in Britain".

He also branded the building industry as "reckless and predatory".

Imran Khan, a lawyer for victims of the fire, called for an annual memorial day to mark the disaster.

He said the bereaved, survivors and residents also wanted an "unequivocal, unambiguous and forthright apology" from companies implicated in the fire.

The fire took place in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Stephanie Barwise KC put the cladding manufacturer and an engineering firm at the top of a list of those at fault.

She added: "We end phase two very much as we began it, in the sense that few core participants accept significant responsibility for what happened."

Another barrister at the inquiry, Michael Mansfield KC, said the fire was "criminal in the colloquial sense, and in the legal sense".

The Metropolitan Police has been leading the criminal investigation but a decision on charges may not come until 2025.

Mr Friedman said the tragedy stemmed from "the prioritisation of what things cost rather than what they were worth".

Speaking about the residents of the tower, he added: "We did not imagine that their home could be our home. We do not appreciate the power imbalances they endure.

"We did not live by the premise that in all of life's profit and loss, we are ultimately neighbours. The evidence painstakingly assembled and heard by this inquiry, tells us that we must."

The inquiry has examined the flawed refurbishment of the building, the year before the fire.

Few of the dozens of companies and council bodies involved have unreservedly accepted responsibility over their actions.

The inquiry has heard there was a "merry-go-round of blame". Ms Barwise attempted to place those involved in a "ranking" of responsibility.

Three companies topped the list: Arconic, the international firm whose French arm manufactured cladding panels, sold a "highly volatile" material, using safety documents which gave a misleading impression of the likely risk.

Studio E, the London architects' firm which designed the refurbished tower, never considered the requirements of safety regulations that state the materials used should not spread fire.

And Exova, a "top-tier" fire engineering firm, created a "false sense of security" by stating in early expert reports during the refurbishment that the flammable cladding used for the work would have "no adverse effect".

Ms Barwise said two other companies had a lesser impact: Harley Facades, which he said had been "untroubled by compliance", and the construction firm Rydon, which chose the tower's flammable window frames.

Mr Mansfield said: "Grenfell Tower is the epitome of a complete collapse of a system, not just a construction system but the system of governance.

"This inquiry should end on a positive note, in which the families can stand alongside their tower and say they've achieved something for those generations."