As a date is set for the publication of the phase 2 report on the Grenfell Tower fire for 4th September, Metropolitan Police have confirmed they do not expect to begin prosecutions until 2027 at the earliest
The report on the findings of Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be published on 4 September 2024, with a estimated timeline of beginning criminal prosecutions in 2027.
The 2017 tower block fire was exacerbated by a flammable cladding system, leaving hundreds trapped in their homes as the fire spread rapidly, with 72 lives eventually lost.
The day after the fire, then-prime minister Theresa May announced a public inquiry, which was first established on 15 August 2017. Seven years later, the inquiry is ongoing.
Phase 2 hearings ended in November 2022
Phase 1 of the inquiry, which examined the narrative of events, saw seven months of hearings in 2018, with a final report published in October 2019.
Chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the second phase of the Grenfell Tower inquiry examines the cause of the fire and failings. This includes the competency and motive of the designers and contractors involved with installing the dangerous cladding, as well as suppliers and manufacturers.
The Metropolitan Police estimate it will take at least 18 months to assess the evidence
Deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “Based on where we are today, we believe it will take us at least until the end of 2025 to fully assess the public inquiry’s phase 2 report and finalise evidential files to present to the CPS for charging decisions. We have updated the bereaved and survivors with our expected timescales and we know how long this sounds, on top of the very long time they have already waited.
“To provide some context, the inquiry’s phase 1 report was more than 800 pages long. We expect the phase 2 report will be substantially longer and much more complex. We must fully assess the findings of the report – line by line – against the evidence we have gathered in our investigation.
“It’s very possible we will then need to explore further evidence and witnesses, and interview some or all of the criminal suspects again.”
Eight early investigative advice files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, with a further twelve files expected. Offences examined in the report include gross negligence manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, health and safety and fraud.
The Met Police said that the covering report for one of the early investigative advice files on a single company and its employees is 535 pages long, references more than 1,200 supporting evidential documents and would stand at almost 7ft tall if printed out.
Due to the “sheer volume” of evidence, Grenfell Tower fire prosecutions are not likely until well after “the end of 2026”
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “The police anticipate sending complete files of evidence to us by 2026.
“There is great benefit in this case that we have been working closely with police throughout and will therefore be in a strong position to consider the final evidential files when they have been completed.
“However, as you will appreciate, due to the sheer volume of substantial evidence, there is still a lot of work to be done in reaching any charging decisions.
“It is our hope that by the end of 2026, we will be in a position where we are making decisions.
“As you will appreciate it is not possible to provide any timescales on our charging decisions, so we will not be able to give a definitive date on when everything will be completed but our team of specialist prosecutors will need time to review the final file carefully and thoroughly before making their decisions.”
