The 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire died as a result of systemic dishonesty. The damning final report from the inquiry into the 2017 disaster displays a chain of failures by governments, companies, and the fire service starting back as early as the early 1990s with how fire safety in high rise buildings has been managed and regulated.
The 1,700 page report criticises the coalition and conservative governments who ignored, delayed or disregarded concerns, missing opportunities to act. It found one manufacturer of cladding products deliberately concealed the fire risks they posed, and highly flammable polyethylene was added to the sides of the tower in a 2016 refurbishment.
Recommendations made by the report include the introduction of a single construction regulator, a college of fire and rescue to improve firefighter training, and changes to the way materials are tested for fire safety.
After revealing the findings, inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick concluded all 72 deaths were avoidable in what he described as a path to disaster.
In-studio hit for London Live News at 6 programme on September 4th.