Families who lost loved ones in the Grenfell scandal on Thursday called for manslaughter charges against individuals blamed for the blaze.
They demanded jail terms for the culprits as Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urged the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service to bring any charges as soon as possible.
However, any court cases are only expected to start in 2027, a decade after fire ripped through Grenfell Tower in the deadliest housing scandal in Britain’s history.
The deaths of all 72 people in the June 2017 blaze in west London were avoidable and had been preceded by “decades of failure” by government, other authorities and the building industry, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report concluded.
The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, he added, with cladding company Arconic and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex coming in for heavy criticism, as did the architects Studio E, principal contractor Rydon, and cladding sub-contractor Harley.
Though he acknowledged failures stretching back to the 1990s, Sir Martin took aim at the drive for deregulation by the coalition and Conservative governments since 2010, which meant concerns about the safety of life had been “ignored, delayed or disregarded” despite the deadly Lakanal House fire in Camberwell which killed six people in 2009.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, as well as the Tenant Management Organisation for Grenfell were also blamed for the dangerous state of the building and refurbishment failings.
Survivor Marcio Gomes, whose unborn son Logan died at Grenfell, called for “serious prison time” for those complicit in the deadly fire.
The IT technician, now 45, told The Times: “I’m not talking about corporate manslaughter - that’s a huge fine and it means nothing. I’m talking about people doing some serious time in jail. The police investigation is extremely important for the families and everybody involved who [is] after justice.”
Shah Aghlani, who lost his disabled mother and aunt in the tragedy, said: “To me it’s a manslaughter charge and nothing less would do.
“Unless it’s fixed, you are not safe in your own home.”
Ms Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, told of her anger over the shocking findings in the report and urged the Met Police to bring the culprits for the blaze to justice “as quickly as possible”.
Charges for the appalling failures blamed for the blaze in June 2017 are not expected until 2026, with any court cases possibly only starting the following year, a decade after the tragedy.
Ms Rayner told Sky News: “We can’t have a situation where justice is delayed because that is justice denied so as quickly as possible the Met Police will carry out their investigations and we have got to support that process.
“What I have read has really angered me, and seeing the survivors and those that lost their loved ones...the police absolutely have our support taking the action that they need to take.”
She also criticised the slow pace of remedial work on some 4,600 other high-rise buildings with cladding, with it having only been completed on less than a third of them despite repeated pledges by ministers over the years for quick action.
Grenfell United, a group which represents some bereaved and survivors, demanded for a ban on government contracts for some of the companies involved.
Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament on Wednesday that all firms found by the inquiry to be part of the “horrific failings” will be written to “as the first step” to stopping them being awarded such contracts.
The Prime Minister has also said it is “imperative that there is full accountability” for what happened “including through the criminal justice process”.
The Metropolitan Police has said it will need an estimated 12 to 18 months to pore over the report “line by line” before any criminal charges are brought.
The force has previously said a total of 19 companies and organisations were under investigation for potential criminal offences, along with 58 individuals.
Potential offences under consideration included corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, health and safety offences, fraud, and offences under the fire safety and building regulations.
Campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal called on the Prime Minister and Ms Rayner to “put right this mess” after “too many broken promises since the scale of this crisis has come to light”.
The group said: “Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with the same risk that there was in Grenfell seven years ago. This must change quickly.
“Grenfell was a disaster. Its legacy should not also be a tragedy.”
Sir Martin’s report recommended creating a new single regulator for the construction industry, which has become “too complex and fragmented”.
