As the final report into the Grenfell Tower fire was today released the nation was remembering the 72 men, women and children who lost their lives in the inferno.
The damning document looking into the 2017 horror found ‘serious deficiencies’ in building standards, ‘dishonest’ manufacturers and a local authority with an ‘indifference’ to fire safety lead to the deaths of the innocent people.
The blaze, which was the worst in Britain for more than a generation, was accelerated by deadly combustible cladding and many of those who died had been told to stay in their flats.
Families of those killed – who were shown the report yesterday so they could digest the findings in private – have insisted it must prompt widespread change.
They have spent years fighting for justice for those the loved ones they lost – after they say a ‘spider’s web of blame’ was spun.
remembers the 72 innocent people who were killed when the the fire took hold of the West London block on June 14, 2017.
The youngest victim was an unborn baby, Logan Gomes.
The father of stillborn Logan, who died inside his mother as they fled the 21st floor, broke down as he recalled the events of June 14, 2017.
Marcio Gomes told the inquiry in 2018: ‘He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts, and will be forever.’
Denis Murphy had been on the 14th floor.
The 56-year-old’s sister said: ‘Once you had met Denis, you would never forget his warmth, wit, cheeky smile and love of life.’
On the 23rd floor, Mohammed Amied Neda was killed.
The 57-year-old’s son said: ‘My dad loved life and loved meeting people. He would get along with almost everyone. He was a man of deep integrity and fairness.’
Joseph Daniels died on floor 16.
His son Samuel said of the 69-year-old: ‘The events of that night took his life and all traces of his existence from this world. He stood no chance of getting out and this should never have happened.’
On floor 20, Mary Mendy tragically died.
The 54-year-old’s niece said: ‘She was warm and kind, she welcomed everyone into her home. Grenfell Tower was a place all her family and friends could find shelter if they ever needed it.’
Khadija Saye was also on floor 20.
The 24-year-old’s father said: ‘She was very gentle, very kind and friendly. Her burning passion was photography, encouraged by her mother, Mary Mendy.’
On floor 19, Debbie Lamprell was killed.
The 45-year-old’s mother Miriam said: ‘You rarely saw my Debbie without a smile. People took to Debbie because she was a friendly, easy person.’
Maria del Pilar Burton was also on floor 19 when the blaze broke out.
Nicholas Burton, husband of the 74-year-old, known as Pily, said: ‘She was a unique, beautiful, exceptional person until this tragedy had taken it away.’
Pily is considered the 72nd victim of the fire, despite dying in January 2018, after experiencing a stroke.
Mother Rania Ibrahim and her two children Fethia Hassan, four, and three-year-old Hania Hassan had been on floor 23.
The 31-year-old’s husband, Hassan Awadh Hassan, said: ‘I’m not just standing here crying because my wife is gone. My wife and my kids are very lucky. Because the way it’s going, I wish if I go like them. I wait for my day.’
Six members of the Choucair family perished on floor 22.
Nadia Choucair, 33, her husband Bassem Choukair, 40, their three children Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zainab, three, died along with their grandmother Sirria Choucair, 60.
Hisam Choucair, the son of Sirria, said: ‘She sacrificed everything for us so we could prosper and be a proper part of the country she’d adopted as her home.’
Of his sister Nadia, he said: ‘We all loved Nadia. She was beautiful, but she was also wise.’
Of his brother-in-law Bassem Choukair, he said: ‘He was an excellent father: kind, loving, considerate, always wanted the best for his children.’
Of Mierna, he said: ‘She loved school. Loved learning. She wanted to be either a doctor or a lawyer. The last time I talked with her about it, she couldn’t decide.’
Of Fatima, her aunt Sawsam said: ‘Fatima was a great gymnast. She had the body for it and wanted to become a professional gymnast when she grew up.’
Of Zainab, she said: ‘We all loved Zainab. When I would come back from work Zainab was so happy to see me.’
Hesham Rahman died on floor 23.
Mr Rahman’s nephew Karim Mussilhy said: ‘My uncle used to express himself through poetry on social media and he wrote some beautiful poems.’
Reading from one, he quoted: ‘Remember my presence before my departure. To see a smile on your face when I’m gone, a prayer from your heart.’
On the 22nd floor, Anthony Disson died.
The 65-year-old’s son Lee said: ‘He was a very special person and I would like him to be remembered for who he was when he was alive. He was always there to help anyone, no matter who you were or where you came from.’
Zainab Deen and son Jeremiah Deen had been on floor 14.
The family of Zainab Deen, 32, said: ‘Zainab had it all; she was beautiful, smart, warm, caring and a confident and outgoing young woman.’
Of her two-year-old son Jeremiah, they said: ‘He was loving, full of life, liked playing football and loved exploring and adventuring.’
On the 11th floor, Ali Yawar Jafari was killed.
The 82-year-old’s son Hamid Ali Jafari said in a video tribute: ‘I think the happiest moment he had was when my son was born, because he was attached to him a lot.’
Gary Maunders had been on floor 19 when the blaze erupted.
Ana Pumar, the mother of the 57-year-old’s two youngest children, said: ‘Gary was always the life and soul of everything we did and anywhere he went. Gary had a lively personality and a great sense of humour which was enjoyed by any company he found himself in.’
On floor 19, Majorie Vital and Ernie Vital died.
The mother, 68, and son, 50, became moulded together in the fire, a surviving son of Marjorie said.
He said: ‘It reminded me, as a child growing up he was constantly in my mother’s arms, and when they were fused together it symbolised to me their level of closeness that they had, that umbilical cord, that my brother still relatively had intact.’
Mother and daughter Victoria King and Alexandra Atala had been on the 20th floor when the blaze broke out.
The family of Ms King, 71, and her 40-year-old daughter said: ‘They were, and are, still together and that is what is important. The fire is a tragedy for all of us.’
Tuccu-Ahmedin family had been on floor 19.
Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, his wife Amal Ahmedin, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, all died. Amna Mahmud Idris, 27, was visiting her cousin Ms Ahmedin at the time of the fire and also died.
Amal’s family said: ‘Amal was the most caring and loving person you could ever meet. Her capacity to love was unmatchable.’
Of Amaya, three, they said: ‘She was so smart and a bit cheeky, and we all realised pretty early on that she was definitely her mother’s daughter.’
Mohamednur Tuccu’s sister-in-law Winta said: ‘Mohamednur was such an amazing person. He would treat me like I was his little sister. He would buy us gifts every time he’d come round and talk to us as if we were his friends.’
Ibrahim Abdulkerim said of his wife, 27-year-old wife Amna Mahmud Idris: ‘She was support to me at all times. Not only me, but everyone who know her. She was the light of her family.’
The Miah-Begum family on floor 17 also perished.
Kamru Miah, 79, Rabeya Begum, 64, Mohammed Hamid, 28, Mohammed Hanif, 26 and Husna Begum, 22.
Mohammed Hakim said of Mr Miah: ‘My father was a humble, loving, caring, honest, kind and loyal man.’
Of his mother Ms Begum, he said: ‘She was a fierce mother, protecting her children from all harm, giving individual attention and care to each of us. She was deeply loved and adored by all her family and anyone that knew her.’
Of his brother Mr Hamid, he said: ‘Hamid was the most incredible, fascinating person you could ever wish to meet. His fun-loving personality always shone through, even when he wasn’t feeling his best.’
Of his brother Mr Hanif, he said: ‘Whoever crossed paths with Hanif was immediately captured by his bright, warming smile. His gentle and kind approach was so unique and made everyone around him feel comfortable and at ease.’
Of his sister Ms Begum, he said: ‘Husna was the epitome of adventure and spirit. She marvelled at the universe and had a burning desire to travel and experience as much of the world as possible.’
On floor 12, Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, Abufras Ibrahim and Isra Ibrahim died.
Their family said 73-year-old Fathia ‘was a pillar of the Sudanese community in London. She was highly respected. She was a source of wiseness and jolliness to the community’.
Said Essaouini, the husband of her 33-year-old daughter Isra Ibrahim, said: ‘I will never find no-one like her, never ever, ever a woman like Isra again, and I am ripped up to pieces, only God knows how much I’m ripped up.’
The brother of Mr Ibrahim, who he called Fras, said he was a very brave man who loved cooking.
Ligaya Moore died on floor 21.
The 78-year-old’s friend said: ‘She was so proud to live in Grenfell. She would always say every time we walked past: ‘Nenita, that’s my building, 21st floor. It’s a big building and I love it so much, even though I’m alone there, I love seeing it every day’.’
On the 17th floor, Vincent Chiejina perished,
The sister of Vincent Chiejina, 60, said: ‘I think he was also quite good at looking after people who were quite vulnerable like himself, so he would never reject anybody just because they were less privileged than himself.’
The El-Wahabi family perished on floor 21.
Father Abdulaziz, 52, wife Faouzia, 41, and children Yasin, 20, Nur Huda, 16, and Mehdi, eight, all died.
Mr Abdulaziz’s family said: ‘He was a kind, loyal family man. He had an infectious and caring personality.’
Of Mrs El-Wahabi, her family said: ‘Faouzia was a lively, friendly woman who loved her role of being a mother and a wife.’
Of Yasin, a relative said: ‘He was a sociable and popular person. He would always help neighbours with their bags and open doors.’
A cousin said: ‘Nur Huda was admirable and her bright smile left a deep print on everyone’s hearts.’
Mehdi’s teacher said: ‘One of his strongest qualities was his ability to make us laugh and smile, we knew we could rely upon him to lighten our mood and brighten our day.’
Khadija Khalloufi died on floor 17.
The 52-year-old’s husband, Sabah Abdullah: ‘I am not trying to make my wife an angel or something, but to them (her children) she was more than an angel.’
On floor 20, Jessica Urbano Ramirez was killed.
The 12-year-old’s sister said: ‘The tragedy took Jess away from us two weeks before her 13th birthday, two weeks before we could see her all dressed up, just like she always did her entire life, enjoying any opportunity she had to look her best.’
The Kedir family died on floor 22.
Hashim Kedir, 44, died with his wife Nura Jemal, 35, daughter Firdaws Hashim, 12, and sons Yahya Hashim, 13, and Yaqub Hashim, six.
Relatives of Hashim said: ‘You were intelligent, smart, hardworking, hilarious and caring. You were always there for everyone and anyone who needed help.’
Of Firdaws, a family member said: ‘She turned out to be a beautiful, intelligent and eloquent girl with a beautiful voice.’
‘Nura was a positive-minded, devout and courageous mother and wife’, a relative said.
Of Yahya, a relative said: ‘Yahya was a very grateful boy. He always wanted to make sure that everyone around him was OK. He loved laughing so much. He would do anything to make everyone laugh.’
‘I was always very fascinated by little Yaqub, by his energy, his physical fitness and his sharp mind,’ a family member said.
Steve Power died on floor 15.
The children of Steve Power, 63, said: ‘Our dad was nothing short of a character. He left some sort of impression on everyone, like Marmite. The majority loved him.’
On floor 22, Eslah and Mariem Elgwahry were killed.
Mariem’s brother said: ‘My sister was confident and strong. She wasn’t afraid to speak up or speak her mind, and was very secure in her words. She had an inner confidence and had grown into a strong and ambitious woman.’
Of his mother, he said: ‘My mum touched many hearts and was a strong woman who raised Mariem and I on her own since my father passed.’
Berkti Haftom and Biruk Haftom died on floor 18.
The sisters of pregnant Berkti Haftom, 29, said: ‘Our sister Berkti was a brilliant mum. She gave so much love to her sons.’
Her 12-year-old son Biruk’s family said: ‘Biruk entered this world greeted by love, the love of his mother’s face, and we are sure he left this world looking at the love of that same beautiful face. These thoughts sustain us in our darkest hours.’
On floor 23, Gloria Trevisan died.
The 26-year-old’s mother said: ‘Gloria was a girl full of life. She really loved life and, although she missed the sun, she missed the food and she missed Italy generally, she was very happy for the work and the job that she had found here, so she was happily settled here.’
Marco Gottardi was killed on floor 23.
The 27-year-old lived on the block’s top floor with his partner, Gloria Trevisan.
His father Giannino Gottardi, told Il Mattino newspaper his son called at 3.45am, then again just after 4am.
Mr Gottardi said: ‘In the second call, and I can’t get this out of my head, he said there was smoke, that so much smoke was rising.’
In the first report he was listed as having been a ‘sound, grounded person’ and someone who was ‘very calm and sensible’.
Sakina Afrasehabi perished on floor 18.
The 65-year-old’s daughter said: ‘My mother was well liked. She loved the children on her floor and always gave them sweets. She was everyone’s grandma.’
Also on floor 18, Hamid Kani died.
A relative of the 61-year-old said: ‘Hamid lived to love and loved to live. He would have been especially proud that out of the tragedy of Grenfell Tower there has been an outpouring of love, togetherness, and support across the nationalities, religions, regardless of differences, class or culture.’
Isaac Paulos had also been on floor 18.
The five-year-old’s father said: ‘My son was beautiful, a little boy with so much potential. I will never forget Isaac’s big, beautiful eyes, his calm look.’
Mohammad al-Haj Ali had been on floor 14.
The 23-year-old’s friend said: ‘I could see that he was special. One of a kind. He was a very compassionate person who cared about people. He was a perfectionist; everything that he did, he excelled.’
Raymond ‘Moses’ Bernard died on floor 23.
The 63-year-old’s sister said: ‘My beloved Ray was my modern day Moses, my hero. Ray always had a smile on his face. He knew how to love without expecting anything in return.’
Visiting her sister on the 18th floor had been Fatemeh Afrasiabi.
A daughter of the 59-year-old said: ‘She loved her children, she would do everything for us.’
The Belkadi family tragically died on floor 20.
Farah Hamdan, 31, her husband Omar Belkadi, 32, and children Malak Belkadi, eight, and six-month-old Leena Belkadi, all died.
Mrs Hamdan’s father said of his daughter and her husband Omar: ‘They were the best people. They really loved each other. You can see them in the photos, you can see how they were. It’s very obvious that they loved each other.’
Of their children, he said: ‘God bless their souls. They used to call me ‘Jiddi’, which means grandpa. That was my name.’
Abdeslam Sebbar had been on floor 11.
The 77-year-old was recovered from the floor where he lived. His family did not pay tribute to him publicly during commemorations at the inquiry in 2018.
Sheila, as she was known, had lived on floor 16.
The 84-year-old lived on the 16th floor. A friend, Gary Allen, said he had known her for 20 years, and described her as a ‘truly beautiful person’ and ‘love, pure and simple’. While formally known as Sheila Smith, her family have requested that she is referred to simply as Sheila.
June 14 2017
At 12.54am, a call is made to the London Fire Brigade reporting a fire has broken out in a fourth-floor flat.
Barely half an hour later, at 1.29am, flames have climbed to the top floor of the 24-storey block.
Images and footage of the devastating fire make headlines across the world.
June 28 2017
Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick is appointed to lead a public inquiry into the disaster.
July 28 2017
The Government announces an independent review into building regulations will be led by Dame Judith Hackitt.
It is alleged that they are complex, unclear and leave enough wriggle room for contractors to cut corners on safety.
September 19 2017
The Metropolitan Police announce a widening of their criminal investigation, as detectives consider individual as well as corporate manslaughter charges.
November 30 2017
A petition, backed by singer Adele, is set up urging then prime minister Theresa May to appoint additional panel members alongside the inquiry chairman.
It is feared that Sir Martin will lack valuable first-hand experience of life as a social tenant in a multicultural neighbourhood.
December 22 2017
Theresa May turns down the request from survivors and bereaved families to overhaul the public inquiry, saying Sir Martin has the ‘necessary expertise to undertake its work’.
January 29 2018
Maria del Pilar Burton, a 74-year-old survivor known as Pily, dies in palliative care. She had been in a care home, unable to return to her husband Nicholas, since the fire.
She comes to be considered the 72nd victim of the fire.
May 17 2018
Dame Judith Hackitt recommends ‘fundamental reform’ to improve fire safety, in her report, which identifies a ‘race to the bottom’ in building safety practices with cost prioritised over safety.
Ministers promise to consult on banning flammable cladding.
May 21 2018
The inquiry begins seven days of commemoration hearings to the dead, starting with a heartbreaking tribute to the fire’s youngest victim, stillborn Logan Gomes.
June 4 2018
Sir Martin’s inquiry begins hearing opening statements from lawyers and a batch of expert reports are released.
June 14 2018
A year after the fire, survivors and bereaved relatives gather for a church service and observe a minute’s silence by the tower.
They are joined by rapper Stormzy and, later, then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
June 21 2018
Firefighter evidence begins. It ends with then London Fire Brigade commissioner Dany Cotton telling the inquiry she would change nothing about her team’s response on the night of the fire.
Survivors and the bereaved react with anger.
September 30 2018
The Government bans the use of combustible cladding on all new residential buildings above 18 metres, as well as schools, care homes, student accommodation and hospitals.
October 3 2018
Survivors, those who lost family in the fire and local residents begin giving evidence at the inquiry.
December 12 2018
The first phase of the inquiry ends.
May 30 2019
The Prime Minister appoints two new inquiry panel members to sit alongside Sir Martin in the second phase of the probe – a ‘step forward’ welcomed by survivors.
June 10 2019
Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy says there is no guarantee criminal damages will be brought over the fire.
He said: ‘Even now, coming up to the two-year anniversary, there is no guarantee that we can give that there will be criminal charges.
‘There is a guarantee that they (the bereaved and survivors) have our absolute personal commitment to do what we can to make sure this investigation is fearless, secures all the evidence that it can and puts that evidence before the Crown Prosecution Service.’
June 18 2019
Survivors and bereaved families project a message on to the Houses of Parliament reading: ‘Two years after Grenfell, this building still hasn’t kept its promises £DemandChange.’
This followed similar action in the previous week when ‘unsafe’ tower blocks across the UK were illuminated with calls for the Government to take urgent action.
July 18 2019
A Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report accuses the Government of ‘not doing enough’ to remove dangerous cladding from buildings, more than two years on from the blaze.
The report also says that the £200 million set aside for remediation of private sector residential buildings with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding will not be enough.
October 30 2019
The first report, on phase one of the inquiry, is published. It concludes that the principal reason the flames shot up the building so quickly was the combustible aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding with polyethylene core which acted as a ‘source of fuel’.
It also finds the London Fire Brigade (LFB)’s preparation for a tower block fire such as Grenfell was ‘gravely inadequate’ and its lack of evacuation plan a ‘major omission’.
Its 46 recommendations include points on evacuations of high-rise residential buildings, and around communications within fire and rescue services and among emergency services during major incidents.
November 6 2019
Jacob Rees-Mogg apologises for suggesting Grenfell victims should have used ‘common sense’ and ignored fire service guidance not to leave the burning tower block.
Mr Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons at the time, faces widespread criticism, including from Grenfell survivors and Jeremy Corbyn, after he said people are safer if they ‘just ignore what you’re told and leave’, while discussing London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) ‘stay-put’ policy.
December 19 2019
Survivors call for a Fire Safety Bill to improve safety by compelling building owners and managers of multi-occupied residential premises to mitigate the risks of external walls, including cladding and fire doors, to be hurried through Parliament.
February 24 2020
Campaigners urge the Government to create a multibillion-pound fund to remove flammable cladding after new research suggested more than half a million people could currently be living in unsafe homes.
The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), whose members manage more than 50,000 apartment buildings, said 25% of these properties with 50 units or more were found to have unsafe cladding after it carried out an analysis using a sample of its largest buildings.
Across the entire portfolio, this equates to 1,375 buildings that are home to 550,000 people, it said.
March 11 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a £1 billion fund to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise residential buildings.
As part of the spring 2020 Budget, the money is put forward for scrapping all combustible cladding materials from all residential buildings over 18 metres tall.
The Government had previously committed a total of £600 million to get rid of aluminium composite material (ACM) panels.
April 28 2020
Remediation work to address unsafe cladding on high-rise residential blocks pauses ‘on as many as 60% of sites’ after the Covid-19 outbreak, then communities secretary Robert Jenrick says.
November 2 2020
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) launches a campaign for extra funds for the fire and rescue service after research shows there are some 11,200 fewer firefighters than a decade ago.
November 17 2020
Robert Jenrick said he hopes dangerous cladding like that used on the outside of Grenfell Tower will be removed from the majority of other buildings by the end of the year.
January 19 2021
The Government pledges to set up a new regulator to ensure the safety of building materials after ‘deeply disturbing’ evidence of malpractice was heard at the Grenfell Inquiry.
The investigation heard that some firms involved in the production of materials used on the tower’s flammable cladding deliberately manipulated fire tests and marketing materials.
Now, a regulator for construction products will be able to remove any products from the market that pose a safety risk and prosecute any companies that are found to be flouting rules.
January 28 2021
Labour says leaseholders should be protected from the cost of replacing dangerous cladding on homes, with leader Sir Keir Starmer describing the situation as ‘intolerable’.
February 10 2021
Robert Jenrick announces a new £3.5 billion package to pay for the removal of unsafe cladding, but critics – including some Tories – say it fails to address the problems faced by residents living in unsellable flats in unsafe blocks.
March 19 2021
Scottish housing minister Kevin Stewart says the Scottish Government will offer free cladding inspections of high-rise buildings.
April 29 2021
Campaigners condemn the Government’s ‘indefensible’ Fire Safety Bill, which will become law and leave hundreds of thousands of leaseholders paying to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings.
October 27 2021
The Government decides to charge property developers with profits of more than £25 million a levy, to raise the £5 billion fund to remove unsafe cladding, at a rate of 4%.
October 31 2021
The Ministry of Defence says 755 buildings with sleeping accommodation for troops in the UK are either fully or partially covered in ‘combustible’ cladding.
November 8 2021
Newly-appointed Housing Secretary Michael Gove says the Government ‘failed people at Grenfell’ and did not always appreciate the importance of fire safety, in his first address to MPs in the role.
January 7 2022
Michael Gove says thousands of flat owners living in buildings taller than 11 metres will be spared the cost of removing dangerous cladding.
January 10 2022
Michael Gove says developers must agree to a £4 billion plan to fix dangerous cladding on low-rise flats by early March or risk new laws forcing them to act.
January 27 2022
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry enters Phase 2, which is investigating how the building came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread so quickly.
May 2022
The Government says that, despite widespread support for personal emergency evacuation plans (Peeps), there remain what it described as significant barriers to implementing them, on the grounds of proportionality, practicality, and safety.
Recommendations to the Government following phase one of the inquiry included that the owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings be required by law to prepare Peeps for residents unable to self-evacuate.
June 14 2022
Bereaved and survivors gather for the fifth anniversary of the fire, some of them saying families feel ‘abandoned’ amid half a decade of ‘betrayal’ by the housing department as progress on safety and change remains slow.
March 2023
Michael Gove names companies he said have not yet agreed to the remediation contract for fixing building safety issues.
The Housing Secretary calls out the housebuilding companies after the deadline he previously gave to sign up to the agreement aimed at addressing cladding issues following the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire passes.
He said 39 developers had signed the contract, committing £2 billion to fund repairs to high-rise buildings which have unsafe cladding or other fire safety defects.
July 2023
The long-awaited Social Housing (Regulation) Act passes into law, including a requirement for social housing managers to have professional qualifications – a measure which had been called for by campaign group Grenfell United.
The group says it hopes the law can ‘create a legacy for the lives that were lost’, going some way towards ‘the positive change the social housing sector so desperately needs to improve conditions for tenants’.
January 2024
Housing Secretary Michael Gove accuses insulation company Kingspan of trying to ‘wriggle out of their responsibilities’ in relation to the fire as he blames the firm for giving capitalism ‘a bad name’.
In a radio interview he says: ‘You can wriggle as much as you like, but the evidence is clear.
‘You have got to own up to your responsibility. We cannot have people who put unsafe products on the market attempting to say ‘do you know what? it’s someone else’s fault’. That does not do.’
The company has long said that its K15 insulation product made up only 5% of the insulation in the tower block, and was used without its recommendation.
May 2024
Police confirm bereaved families and survivors face waiting until the end of 2026 for a decision on potential criminal charges over the fire.
The Met says their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.
Grenfell United describes the wait, which could stretch to a decade after the catastrophic fire, as ‘unbearable’.
In the same month, the publication date for the final report is announced as September 4.
June 14 2024
On the seventh anniversary of the fire, campaigners from the infected blood scandal and the Covid Bereaved group join for the memorial walk.
They back a call for a national oversight mechanism – an independent public body to be put in place, responsible for collating, analysing and following up on recommendations from public inquiries.
July 2024
Government figures at the end of July showed that of the 4,630 residential buildings in England of 11m (36ft) or higher that had been identified with unsafe cladding, only around half (2,299) were noted as having either started or completed remediation works.
Of this, less than a third (1,350) overall were recorded as having completed such works.
August 26 2024
A non-fatal fire at a block of flats in east London which had been undergoing work to have cladding removed prompts fierce criticism of the slow pace of remediation works on dangerous budlings.
Grenfell United say the incident in Dagenham ‘highlights the painfully slow progress of remediation across the country, and a lack of urgency for building safety as a whole’, while expert Dame Judith Hackitt describes it as ‘really concerning’ that so many people are still living in uncertainty and fear about the safety of their homes.
New Housing Secretary Angela Rayner acknowledges progress on making buildings safe has been too slow and says there remains ‘far too much’ dangerous cladding on properties.
She says she will meet regulators to ‘press home the urgency to make sure that that work is done’.
September 4 2024
The final report is published.