The Met Police has submitted 20 files to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) relating to 54 individuals and 20 companies over the Grenfell Tower fire, meaning more than 50 people face potential charges.
The documents ask the CPS to consider charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences, and misconduct in public office.
Scotland Yard announced the significant step over the 2017 fire in North Kensington, west London, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
Milestone moment in investigation
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said: “This is a milestone moment in the police investigation into this devastating tragedy which took the lives of 72 people.”
“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,” he added.
“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.”
Charging decisions and timeline
The CPS has committed to making the charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire in June 2027. Trials are not expected to start before 2029, 12 years after the blaze.
Families of victims have criticised the length of time being taken to bring people to justice over the scandal. A special court is being considered to hear the cases.
Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell welcomed the files being passed to the CPS but stressed: “Bereaved, families and survivors have waited far too long for justice, and we must see criminal accountability.”
Scale of the inquiry
Investigators have looked at the role of more than 15,000 people and 700 organisations as part of the 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.
The public inquiry into the deadly blaze found that it had been preceded by “decades of failure” by governments and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. It also found victims, the bereaved and survivors were “badly failed” through incompetence, dishonesty and greed.
Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said in his final report in 2024 that the tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms which made and sold the cladding and insulation. He also condemned the “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.
