The final report of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire will be released in just over three months’ time, more than seven years after the tragedy that killed 72 people.
The inquiry team announced today (23 May) that publication of its phase two report, which has been delayed three times, will be on 4 September.
Core participants will receive copies the day before.
The report will contain the inquiry’s conclusions on what caused the fire that ripped through the 24-storey building in June 2017.
Campaign group Grenfell United said it hoped the report would give “the truth we deserve”.
They said: “When the report is finally released, we need to know that Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s recommendations will be implemented by the new government in power.
“Nearly five years since the publication of the first report, the Tory government has failed to implement four of the phase one recommendations.”
Contractors, cladding suppliers and government officials testified during the inquiry’s second phase, including Rydon, Harley Facades, the British Board of Agrement, Kingspan, Arconic, and Celotex. Hearings ended in July 2022.
Closing the hearings, inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said: “Many decisions, taken by many different people, over the course of many years conspired to create a building which in June 2017 was vulnerable to a catastrophic fire resulting from the failure of a common type of domestic appliance.”
The phase two report was originally expected in autumn 2023. Delaying the release date for the third time last April, the inquiry team said the statutory process of informing individuals referenced in the report was taking longer than expected.
Emma Wilson, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon, which represents the families of three people who died in the fire, said: “While they welcome the opportunity for closure, our clients remain dismayed at the continued delays in implementing measures to ensure a disaster like Grenfell doesn’t happen again and bringing those responsible to justice.”
The report from the inquiry’s first phase was released in October 2019.
It focused on the events of the night of the fire, concluding that the fire’s rapid spread was primarily caused by aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding panels installed during the 2012-2016 refurbishment.
Next month will mark the seventh anniversary of the fire.
The Metropolitan Police said yesterday (22 May) that it would need at least 12 to 18 months after the report’s release to complete its investigation.
It will then hand its evidence over to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide whether to bring charges against any companies, organisations or individuals.
Any trials are unlikely to take place before 2027.
