The Guardian view on Grenfell prosecutions: court dates cannot come soon enough | Editorial

Police have sent files to the Crown Prosecution Service recommending charges against 77 individuals and organisations for roles in the Grenfell Tower fire. Survivors and supporters will gather for the ninth annual silent walk around the west London neighbourhood where the tower stands, with the next year marking a decade since the disaster. The public inquiry identified failures across multiple public and private bodies, including deliberate dishonesty by Arconic, Kingspan, and Celotex, poor building safety regulation by central government, and serious lapses by Kensington and Chelsea council and its tenant management organisation. It also criticised architects and contractors, and found the London Fire Brigade culpable for a dangerous stay put policy that should have changed after earlier cladding fires. Despite 58 recommendations delivered in September 2024, criminal trials are unlikely before 2028. Prosecutors are expected to decide on charges by next June, and survivors’ groups say confidence has been shattered and further delays are unacceptable. The Metropolitan Police cite the investigation’s exceptional complexity.

"Relief at this week's news that police are sending files to the Crown Prosecution Service, recommending charges against 77 individuals and organisations for their roles in the Grenfell Tower fire, is mixed with grief and anger. On 14 June the disaster's survivors and their supporters will gather for the ninth annual silent walk around the west London neighbourhood in which the ruined tower stands. Next year marks a decade since the fire."

"The public inquiry into the disaster pointed the finger at multiple public and private bodies, decisions and individuals. Three construction firms, Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, were found to have been deliberately dishonest about their products. Poor regulation of building safety was the fault of central government. Kensington and Chelsea council, and its tenant management organisation, were strongly criticised for poor fire safety and other lapses. So were the architects and contractors commissioned to oversee the block's refurbishment."

"The London fire brigade was culpable for its dangerous stay put policy, which should have been changed following previous cladding fires, including the one that killed six people in Lakanal House, south London, in 2009. These conclusions, and the inquiry's 58 recommendations, were delivered in September 2024. Yet even now, the prospect of criminal trials remains painfully remote. With prosecutors expected to decide on which charges to bring by next June, cases are unlikely to come to court until 2028 at the earliest."

"One survivors' group, Grenfell Next of Kin, responded to Tuesday's announcement with a statement that its confidence in the system has been shattered. Another group, Grenfell United, said that survivors cannot be expected to endure years more of delay. Rightly, campaigners point out that the criminal law does not usually take this long. The Met's defence is that this is the most complex investigation it has ever carried out."

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