The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has published its Phase 2 report into the fire at Grenfell Tower. Members of QEB Hollis Whiteman Chambers have been involved throughout the Inquiry in a range of roles.
The Inquiry was set up in 2017 to investigate the circumstances that contributed to the fire at Grenfell Tower which resulted in the deaths of 72 people. It has been chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick.
Phase 1 of the report was published on 30th October 2019 and examined the events on the night of the fire. Phase 2 of the Inquiry has considered the circumstances leading up to the fire, including how and why the fire happened.
Phase 2, published yesterday, concluded: “the fire at Grenfell Tower was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry to look carefully into the danger of incorporating combustible materials into the external walls of high-rise residential buildings and to act on the information available to them.”
Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report chronicles failures in the construction industry, the council, regulators and central government, highlighting that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable. Many recommendations have been made.
The current police investigation has so far identified 19 companies and 58 individuals as suspects, in respect of offences including corporate and gross negligence manslaughter, misconduct in public office and breaches of various safety regulations. It appears inevitable that some charges will be brought.
Members of QEB Hollis Whiteman have been involved throughout the Inquiry, representing a number of core participants and individual witnesses. Many are also acting for suspects in the criminal investigation. To make an inquiry of the team please see here.
The full report is published here: