CPS and Met Police must act ‘as quickly as possible’ on Grenfell fire – Rayner

Angela Rayner faced questions from broadcasters on Thursday morning about the next steps ministers will take following the conclusion of the inquiry into the 2017 tower block fire.

The housing minister’s televised appearance came after Sir Keir Starmer apologised to the government for a disaster that he said should never have happened.

The Prime Minister said the Government would look at all 58 recommendations of the inquiry “in detail”.

Ms Rayner told Times Radio: “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

“This is an incredibly complex investigation,” she said.

“And given that this was seven years ago and the phase two report is out, which is incredibly detailed, there is a significant amount of material to go through and we will do everything we can to support the Metropolitan Police and the CPS to deliver their findings and move their actions forward as quickly as possible.

“Because as many survivors and families of victims have said, justice delayed is justice denied, and I absolutely believe that justice must be done as soon as possible.”

The Metropolitan Police have said they estimate it will take 12 to 18 months to go through the report line by line before they can bring charges.

The police had previously stated that a total of 19 companies and organizations as well as 58 individuals were being investigated for possible criminal offenses.

The possible crimes considered included corporate manslaughter, manslaughter through gross negligence, perverted conduct, abuse of office, breach of health and safety regulations, fraud, and breaches of fire and building regulations.

The End Our Cladding Scandal campaign group called on the Prime Minister and Ms Rayner to “sort this mess out” after “too many promises have been broken since the scale of this crisis came to light”.

The group said: “Hundreds of thousands of people still live in homes with the same risks as Grenfell seven years ago. This must change quickly.”

“Grenfell was a disaster. Its legacy should not also be a tragedy.”

The latest Government figures, published at the end of July, show that only around half of the 4,630 domestic buildings in England 11 metres (36 feet) or more high that were found to have unsafe cladding had either started or completed remedial work (2,299).

Of these, less than a third (1,350) were recorded as having completed such work.

The next updated figures are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

Ms Rayner told BBC Breakfast there was “no excuse” for building owners who had not taken steps to remove dangerous cladding.

“There is currently £5 billion available for remediation, so I cannot accept that the money is not there,” she said.

“And these companies, the owners of these buildings, also have financial resources.

“I do not accept that there is no money for this renovation.”

She said that some of the buildings had “very complex” ownership structures.

“Some of these are offshore, and I’m looking at that now and how we can continue to really hold these building owners accountable to make sure they’re doing their jobs.

“There is no excuse not to get this work done now.”

Ms Rayner also acknowledged that some people still live in buildings that may not be safe.

“All buildings in the UK are at risk of a defect. I cannot guarantee 100 per cent that all buildings in the UK are 100 per cent safe,” she said.

“But what I can say is that measures have been taken to ensure that evacuation procedures are in place in the event of a fire. Where a guard is required, there is a procedure in place with the fire service to ensure people’s safety.”

Ms Rayner declined to comment on when all homes with dangerous cladding would be made safe, saying she did not have a “definite timetable yet”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said the promised “recovery acceleration plan”, due sometime in the autumn, would speed up the process.

“I’m always honest with people. I can’t give you a timeline today, but what I can say is that right now – seven years later – it’s an incredibly slow process, and that’s not acceptable.”

Ministers will respond fully to the report within six months and regularly inform Parliament of any commitments made, Sir Keir said.

The deaths of all 72 people in the major fire in west London in 2017 were preventable. It was preceded by “decades of neglect” on the part of the government, other authorities and the construction industry, according to the report by the chairman of the inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

He added that the high-rise block was clad with flammable products due to the “systematic dishonesty” of the companies that manufactured and sold the cladding and insulation. Cladding company Arconic and insulation companies Kingspan and Celotex were particularly criticized.

Although he acknowledged failings dating back to the 1990s, Sir Martin was sharply critical of the deregulation efforts of the Coalition and Conservative governments since 2010, saying they had resulted in concerns about the safety of human life being “ignored, delayed or disregarded”, despite the deadly fire at Lakanal House in 2009 that killed six people.

Grenfell United, a group representing some bereaved families and survivors, called for a ban on government contracts for some of the companies involved.

Sir Keir told Parliament that all companies found to be involved in the “appalling failings” would be written to “as a first step” to prevent them from receiving such contracts.

The Prime Minister also said it was “imperative” that full responsibility be taken for the incidents, “including through criminal proceedings”.