by Survivors and families of those killed in the Grenfell fire reacted with anger as MPs left the House of Commons shortly before the Prime Minister’s speech about the tragedy.
On Wednesday, when the final report of the inquiry into the tragedy, written by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, was published, the “goal of years” was laid down in government and the construction industry. The report blamed “systematic dishonesty” for the deaths of 72 people in the 2017 tower block fire.
After PMQs on Wednesday evening, Sir Keir Starmer remained in his seat to reflect on the report. However, dozens of MPs from both sides of the House were seen walking out before the statement, leaving empty benches where hundreds of MPs had been sitting just minutes before.
Not surprisingly, the House vacated just hours after the judge announced the publication of the phase 2 report.
It shows how many of those within the political elite are part of the disregard, indifference and incompetence that have contributed to the deaths of our 72. https://t.co/MPQWWt51eU
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited) September 4, 2024
Reacting to the scenes, Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved families of the fire’s victims, said it was “no surprise” that the House was empty, adding. “It shows how many of those within the political elite are part of the disregard, indifference and incompetence that contributed to the deaths of our 72.”
The deputy chairman of the group, Karin Mussilhy, said afterwards that you would see “a surge of bodies during the parliament”. He told BBC Newsnight: “That room was more than half empty. This is the culture we are talking about. How are we going to get justice when they don’t even care?”
ITV news presenter Robert Peston said of the incident: “I was actually a bit upset. In fact, a large number of MPs simply left after the Prime Minister’s questions. I thought for this statement he would explode on the seams. There weren’t a lot of empty seats and I was really surprised.”
Yahoo News UK has contacted Grenfell United for further comment.
What are the conclusions of the report?
The almost 1,700-page final report into the Grenfell Tower fire found that victims, bereaved and survivors had been “failed miserably” by incompetence, dishonesty and greed. It concluded that all deaths were avoidable and that there had been a “decade-long failure” by the government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of combustible materials on high-rise buildings.
The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of the firms that made and sold the cladding and insulation, Moore-Bick said. He called for “deliberate and persistent” manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading the market.
By 2016, a year before the Grenfell fire, the government was “well aware” of the risks of using combustible cladding and insulation panels, particularly in high-rise buildings, “but they did not act on what they knew “. Because of a drive within government, years before the fire, for deregulation, concerns for the safety of life were “disregarded, delayed or disregarded”, the report said, despite the deadly Lakanal House fire that killed six people in 2009.
From an industry perspective, cladding firms Arconic and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex have been heavily criticized. Arconic was found to have “deliberately concealed from the market the extent of the danger” associated with the use of its cladding product, particularly on high-rise buildings.
Kingspan, from 2005 and even after the investigation began after the fire, “knowingly created a false market for insulation” to be used on buildings over 18 metres, the report said. Then, in an attempt to break into this market created by Kingspan, “Celotex embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market”, Moore-Bick concluded.
What did Starmer say about the report?
The prime minister told MPs that survivors, bereaved families and the community around Grenfell had been “scrutinized badly” before, during and after the fire which killed 72 people in 2017.
He apologized to the families on behalf of the British state, telling them: “The country has failed to fulfill its most basic duty, to protect you and your family, the people we are here to serve, and it is very sad on me.”
Starmer expressed his support for calls to ban the companies involved in the disaster from receiving government contracts, and said the government would support the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the fire.
He said it was “essential that there is full accountability, including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as quickly as possible”.
