The UK's Grenfell Tower fire disaster that killed 72 people in 2017 was the "culmination of decades of failure" by government and construction industry bodies, a final report from a six-year inquiry has found.
The inquiry concluded there was no “single cause” of the tragedy, saying residents were let down by dishonest companies, weak or incompetent regulators and a complacent government.
“Many failings of a wide range of institutions, entities and individuals” led to the fire, the report said. All deaths were avoidable, said retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who led the inquiry.
"The simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable, and those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants," he said.
The report found:
- The government ignored warnings, with "many opportunities" to identify the risks posed to high-rise buildings by flammable cladding and insulation
- There was a "deregulatory agenda" within government, which led to safety matters being "ignored, delayed or disregarded"
- There was "systematic dishonesty" in product testing and marketing of insulation products
- Statutory guidance on fire tests was "fundamentally defective"
- Managing fire safety was seen as "an inconvenience" by the tower's landlords
- London Fire Brigade had a "chronic lack of effective management and leadership" and did not learn lessons from previous fires
Grenfell's multinational victims
The victims came from 23 countries and included taxi drivers and architects, a poet, an acclaimed young artist, retired people and 18 children.
Mohammed Al Hajali, who had fled Syria in 2014 and lived with his brothers in the building, was among those killed. His brother Omar described how firefighters repeatedly told them to stay in their apartments as the blaze raged.
“Mohammad and I moved to the UK from Syria to be safe,” he told the inquiry in 2020. "I still do not understand how such a dangerous building could exist in the UK. I want change to happen and I want people who were responsible for the fire at Grenfell to be honest and to be held to account."
'Distrust, dislike and anger'
The final report, which ran to almost 1,700 pages, blamed the disaster on failings by the government, construction industry and, most of all, the firms involved in fitting the exterior with flammable cladding.
Other factors cited included the distrust, dislike and anger of the Grenfell Tower landlords towards its residents which led to "a serious failure ... to observe basic responsibilities", said the report.
Some occupants regarded Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) as a "bullying overlord", and a "toxic atmosphere" was "fuelled by mistrust on both sides". KCTMO had "lost sight" of the fact that residents "depended on it for a safe and decent home", and it regarded some as "militant troublemakers".
It said a fatal fire at a housing block in 2009 should have alerted the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to the shortcomings in its ability to fight blazes in high-rise buildings. The Lakanal House fire in Camberwell, south London, foreshadowed the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze, the report said, concluding that the LFB failed to "implement any effective response" to the blaze in July 2009, which claimed six lives, despite understanding its lessons.
The report identified several key measures that should have been implemented by the LFB after that incident, including making better use of the knowledge it had gained of the dangers posed by modern materials and methods of construction, and providing regular training for its control-room operators on handling many fire survival guidance calls at the same time.
London Fire Brigade said it was now "better prepared" to respond to high-rise fires but would not be complacent.
The report also found a government drive for deregulation meant concerns about the safety of life were "ignored, delayed or disregarded" in the years before the Grenfell Tower fire.
Civil servants had felt unable to raise concerns about fire safety due to a focus on deregulation, and accused ministers and senior officials of a "serious failure of leadership" in allowing such a culture to develop, it said.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said the residents "paid a price for systemic dishonesty, corporate greed and institutional indifference and neglect".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said the report had identified "substantial and widespread failings". He said: "My thoughts today are wholly with those bereaved by, and survivors of, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the residents in the immediate community. This day is for them. I hope that Sir Martin's report can provide the truth they have sought for so long, and that it is step towards the accountability and justice they deserve."
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called for the government to go further than the recommendations in the report, ensuring deregulation is "comprehensively reversed".
General secretary Matt Wrack said: "The FBU has always argued that the fire was the result of decades of failure by central government to regulate the building industry – the prioritisation of private profit over human life. This report completely vindicates that position, demonstrating beyond doubt that an agenda of deregulation cost lives."
The lengthy investigation into the blaze – the deadliest in Britain since the Second World War – examined how building flaws, lax enforcement of safety standards and mistakes by emergency responders contributed to the disaster.
The fire broke out in the early hours of June 14, 2017, in a fourth-floor flat and spread up through the 25-storey building like a lit fuse, fuelled by flammable cladding panels on the tower’s exterior walls.
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South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
The%20specs
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Company%20profile
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
