Response to Grenfell Inquiry report - from London mayor and Parliament
The Prime Minister made an apology to the bereaved and survivors on behalf of the British State
Last updated 4th Sep 2024
The Prime Minister has apologised to the families of those killed in the Grenfell fire, some of whom were present in the House of Commons gallery as he made a statement on the report from the inquiry into the tragedy.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British State to each and every one of you and, indeed, to all of the families affected by this tragedy. It should never have happened.
"The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty to protect you and your loved ones. The people that we are here to serve. And I am deeply sorry."
Sir Keir also said: "Sir Martin (Moore-Bick) concluded this morning, and I'm afraid there's no way of repeating this that won't be painful, he said the simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable. That those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways, by, as the report lays out in full, just about every institution responsible for ensuring their safety.
"In the face of an injustice so painful, so deserving of anger, words can begin to lose their meaning.
Waiting for justice to be done
"Seven years still waiting for the justice that you deserve, I want to say very clearly, on behalf of the country, you have been let down so badly before, during and in the aftermath of this tragedy, and while Sir Martin sets out a catalogue of appalling industry failures for which there must now be full accountability, he also finds, and I quote, decades of failure by central government."Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the report identified "substantial and widespread failings", adding that the Government will carefully consider its recommendations "to ensure that such a tragedy cannot occur again".
The Grenfell Inquiry report is "a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failures", former prime minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons.
Promise of support and change
Sir Keir Starmer has promised the families of the Grenfell Tower victims that he will "demand" building safety.
He told the Commons: "After all you've been through, you may feel you're always one step away from another betrayal, I get that, and I know I cannot change that with just words today.
"But what I can say is, I listened carefully to one of the members of the inquiry, Ali Akbor, this morning who said this: 'What is needed is for those with responsibility for building safety to reflect and to treat Grenfell as a touchstone in all that they do in the future'.
"I consider myself someone responsible for building safety, and that is exactly what I will do, and what I will demand of this Government."
Sir Keir Starmer said he visited Grenfell Tower a fortnight ago and laid a wreath at the memorial wall.
The Prime Minister told the Commons: "As I walked down that narrow staircase from the 23rd floor, and looked at walls burnt by 1,000 degree heat, I got just a sense of how utterly, utterly terrifying it must have been.
"As I saw examples of the cladding on the outside of the building, and listened to descriptions of the catastrophic and completely avoidable failures of that fatal refurbishment, I felt just a sense of the anger that rises through that building.
"That left me with the profound and very personal determination to make the legacy of Grenfell Tower one of the defining changes to our country that I want to make as Prime Minister.
"To the families, the survivors and the immediate community, we will support you now and always - especially those that were children.
"In the memory of your loved ones, we will deliver a generational shift in the safety and quality of housing for everyone in this country, and in the memory of Grenfell we will change our country, not just a change in policy and regulation, although that must of course take place, but a profound shift in culture and behaviour.
"A rebalancing of power that gives voice and respect to every citizen, whoever they are, and wherever they are.
"We will bring the full power of Government to bear on this task, because it's the responsibility of service and the duty we owe to the memory of every one of the 72."
Response from leader of the opposition
Leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak paid tribute to the "strength and patience" of Grenfell Tower survivors, some of whom were in the House of Commons public gallery.
Responding to the Prime Minister's statement, the Tory leader said: "It is not hyperbole to say that we would not be here today without them.
"It was their tenacity and strength that brought the truth to light and for that, they deserve our thanks.
"Their search for truth and justice is a noble one, and for that, they have our full support."
The Grenfell Inquiry report is "a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failures", former prime minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons.
Responding to Sir Keir Starmer's statement on the 2017 residential tower block fire in west London and inquiry report, Mr Sunak said: "Whilst the Grenfell community's loss will have left a hole nothing will ever be able to fill, I hope that whatever healing is possible from today, that each and every one of them takes some small measure of it.
"I know they will never forget the 72 people who tragically lost their lives, and nor shall we.
"Today's publication, as the Prime Minister said, is to put it bluntly, a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failures, stretching as far back as Knowsley Heights in 1991 and then multiple incidents from there.
"Sir Martin Moore-Bick and the work of the inquiry have painted a picture of systemic indifference, failure and in some notable cases, dishonesty and greed."
London mayor: "a horrific injustice and a national disgrace"
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the residents of Grenfell Tower "paid a price for systemic dishonesty, corporate greed and institutional indifference and neglect".
He said firms held responsible by the inquiry should be banned from receiving public contracts, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) should look into bringing criminal cases.
Mr Khan said: "The Grenfell Tower fire isn't just a heart-breaking tragedy, it's a horrific injustice and a national disgrace. That the lives of 72 Londoners were stolen from us in such circumstances is a moral outrage.
"The inquiry makes clear in stark terms that all these deaths were entirely avoidable, and that the residents of Grenfell Tower have paid the price for systematic dishonesty, corporate greed and institutional indifference and neglect."
He said "profit has been put before people" which "isn't just shameful, it's utterly indefensible".
Mr Khan added that "more must now be done to hold those responsible to account, including banning any of the companies held responsible by the inquiry from receiving any public contracts as the police and CPS look into bringing criminal prosecutions".