Gove calls for prosecution of Kingspan over Grenfell Tower cladding

A former British housing minister has called for criminal proceedings to be taken against the companies responsible for the cladding of Grenfell Tower.

Companies that “continue to make huge profits without acknowledging their full responsibility” should also be financially punished, suggested Michael Gove.

A public inquiry into the devastating events in London in 2017 Grenfell 72 people lost their lives in the fire at the tower. The disaster was blamed on the negligence of the British government, the construction industry and, above all, the companies that had covered the external façade with flammable cladding.

In the early hours of June 14, 2017, the fire raged through the 23-storey social housing block in one of London’s wealthiest areas. It was the worst fire in a residential building in Britain since the Second World War.

In an article in the Sunday Times, Gove claimed that during his time in government, attempts to punish Kingspan, Arconic and Celotex had been blocked by “bureaucracies”.

There was “inadequate action” by foreign governments against responsible companies based outside the UK, he said, adding that attempts to restrict imports of their products ran counter to the “commercial purism of the Mandarin brain of the Treasury”.

The final report of the Grenfell inquiry, published last week, said the high-rise block in west London was clad with combustible products due to the “systematic dishonesty” of the companies that manufactured and sold the cladding and insulation.

Since 2005, and even after the fire investigation began, Kingspan has “knowingly created a false market” for insulation materials intended for use in buildings over 18 metres (59 feet) high, it said.

Celotex then pursued “a dishonest plan to deceive its customers and the wider market” in an attempt to penetrate the market created by Kingspan, said the chairman of the inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

Mr Gove apologised to relatives and survivors of the tragedy who have been “let down by successive governments, including governments of which I was a member”.

The companies that manufactured the materials used for the tower have “still not shown adequate guilt, remorse for their crimes and reparation for their wrongs,” he added.

“As Kingspan is based in Ireland and the European operations of Arconic and Celotex are in France, our jurisdiction was limited. But we were determined to pursue them,” Gove said.

The former Conservative Party leadership contender piled pressure on Ulster Rugby and the Mercedes F1 team, urging them to reconsider their relationship with County Cavan-based insulation company Kingspan in 2021.

Last year, he warned shareholders of facade manufacturers that the companies would face “serious consequences” if no financial aid package was put in place following the Grenfell incident.

Mr Gove said “toughness is required” to take the “necessary action” against cladding companies. “I know there will be voices that oppose strong action.”

“Prosperity cannot be bought at the price of justice. Those who are most guilty must pay for it, and pay the most,” he added.