Police investigating the Grenfell Tower fire have passed a file of evidence on the Government's housing department to prosecutors. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday that they had handed files of evidence relating to 20 organisations and 54 individuals to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The 2017 blaze in North Kensington, west London, claimed the lives of 72 people. A public inquiry concluded that all of the deaths were avoidable, with tower residents having been "badly failed" by authorities "in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed".
Potential offences and charging timeline
Potential offences include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences, and misconduct in public office. The CPS said charging decisions will be made before the 10th anniversary of the disaster, which falls on June 14 2027.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has confirmed the department she now heads up was notified in 2023 that it was under investigation. A file relating to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has now been referred to the CPS in relation to a potential breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, she said.
Ms Rayner said: "I recognise the significance and gravity of this development, and we will respond with the appropriate and necessary diligence and care." She said the Grenfell Tower Inquiry had "exposed profound failures in the building safety system", adding that she recognised "confidence will only be rebuilt through sustained action and visible change".
Inquiry findings and investigation scale
The inquiry's final report, published in September 2024, laid out in damning detail how those in positions of responsibility had not heeded or acted on warnings from earlier fires. It said that by 2016, a year before the fire, the government was "well aware" of the risks of using combustible cladding panels and insulation, particularly in high-rise buildings, "but failed to act on what it knew".
A drive within government, years before the fire, for deregulation, meant concerns about the safety of life had been "ignored, delayed or disregarded", the report said, despite the deadly Lakanal House fire which killed six people in 2009. In the years after, the agenda to cut red tape was "enthusiastically supported" by some politicians in charge, the report said.
Bereaved and survivor group Grenfell United said anyone "found guilty of crimes that cost our loved ones their lives" should end up "behind bars".
Police and CPS statements
The Metropolitan Police's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said the passing of files to prosecutors marked a "milestone moment". He said: "Our dedicated team of 220 investigators has worked incredibly hard to honour our commitment to the bereaved, survivors, residents and all those affected by the fire to meet this timescale.
"We appreciate, of course, it has taken nine years to get to this point. As we have said before, this is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency – the scale is truly enormous.
"While we know this has had a significant impact on those waiting for answers, it has necessarily taken this long to ensure our investigation is meticulous and presents the very best possible evidence to the CPS for charging decisions."
Investigators have looked at the role of more than 15,000 people and 700 organisations as part of the mammoth inquiry, and have submitted 12,600 pages of evidence to the CPS. A total of 14,700 statements have been taken and more than 27,000 exhibits, including cladding, insulation, doors, windows and other parts of the building, down to screws, nuts and bolts, are stored in a secure warehouse. Scale replica parts of the tower are being built at a cost of £2 million in anticipation of potential court proceedings.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said files being passed from police "marks an important step in the Grenfell Tower investigation" and acknowledged "that the journey to this point has been long and difficult" for all those "seeking answers and accountability". He said: "Charging decisions will be made independently by CPS prosecutors following a thorough and careful review of all the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police Service.
"We remain confident that we will complete this process and make charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire on June 14 2027."
Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved families and survivors, said: "We expect the Met and the CPS to do everything in their power to make sure this case moves forward without further unnecessary delay. Our families have waited long enough.
"We want those responsible to face justice. If people are found guilty of crimes that cost our loved ones their lives, we want to see them behind bars. Only then will people see that there are real consequences for what happened at Grenfell.
"No family should have to fight this hard, for this long, for justice."
Broader failures and next steps
The public inquiry found the blaze was preceded by "decades of failure" by governments and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the "systematic dishonesty" of firms which made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said in his final report. He also condemned the "deliberate and sustained" manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.
Housing committee chairwoman Abena Oppong-Asare said bereaved and survivors had "suffered an agonising and unacceptable nine-year wait for justice" and urged the Government "to do all they can to help avoid any further delays and, outside of any criminal proceedings, ensure that building safety is a top priority".
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright welcomed progress "finally being made towards prosecuting those culpable" and said it "will continue our relentless campaign alongside the victims' families to see all those responsible prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law".
Grenfell Tower is currently being demolished, in a process which began in September 2025 and which was expected at that point to be completed within two years.
