Grenfell report blames decades of government failure and ‘systematic dishonesty’ of companies
GuardianSep 18
Final Inquiry Report Into UK's Grenfell Tower Fire Published
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The Facts
The UK's six-year public inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire has published its final 1.7K-page report, concluding all 72 deaths to have been "avoidable" and attributing failures to "incompetence" as well as "dishonesty and greed."
The report, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, states that following 1991's Knowsley Heights fire, there were "many opportunities" for governments to identify the risks of combustible cladding and insulation, with "numerous warnings" concerning these products from 2012-2017.
The Spin
Narrative A
From state officials to private contractors, the inquiry's damning report leaves no doubt that all corners of the construction industry are to blame. Now, the full weight of the law must be used against those whose corruption and incompetence allowed this avoidable tragedy to occur.
Narrative B
The Grenfell report fails to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Recommendations of regulatory reform will do nothing to solve the institutional racism and classism that have allowed decades of neglect towards communities such as Grenfell's to go unnoticed.