The Metropolitan Police is set to submit files of evidence relating to the 2017 Grenfell disaster to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by the end of September.
It is understood that the CPS has already begun reviewing some of the files. It means a final decision on whether to bring charges might not take place until June 2027, with trials not expected to start before 2029.
The files include details of 57 individuals and 20 companies, and in a statement today (19 May), Garry Moncrieff from the Metropolitan Police revealed the people and organisations were “not expected to vary a lot” on submission. “We have gathered strong evidence,” he said.
Potential offences under consideration include corporate gross negligence manslaughter, fraud and health and safety breaches.
Police began a probe into the disaster – Operation Northleigh – in 2017, speaking to 15,000 people across 700 organisations and spending £150 million on the investigation.
They are also looking to spend a potential further £2 million, reported by the Guardian, on a full-size reconstruction of the tower, which would be used to explain to a jury how the fire spread. However, a decision on whether or not to use such a prop is still to be made, with the victim’s families reportedly having been made aware of the plan by police.
Inquiry findings
It follows the conclusion of a public inquiry that found several failures from the government, the fire service, and “dishonest” companies. It concluded that the disaster “was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry”.
The report’s authors were particularly critical of the companies involved in the refurbishment of the tower and the product manufacturers behind the flammable materials that allowed the fire to spread, which ended up killing 72 people, in June 2017.
The inquiry made several recommendations, including the appointment of a chief construction adviser, a process that the MHLCG expects to conclude this summer.
The search for a long-term appointment has been hindered by a “very limited” pool of candidates, according to former chief construction adviser, Paul Morrell, owing to potential conflicts of interest and commercial ties of those at the senior level required to qualify for the post.
‘Caution, grief and determination’
72 people were killed when the tower caught fire in June 2017. Responding to today’s announcement, a spokesperson for the campaign group Grenfell United, said: “For our community, this is not news we meet with celebration. We meet it with caution, grief and determination. We have waited almost a decade for accountability.”
