Today is a day of truth and Britain failed to protect you, Starmer says to Grenfell victims as harrowing report released
BRITAIN failed to protect Grenfell victims, Keir Starmer has said after a harrowing report was released into the 2017 tragedy.
The long-awaited report into the deaths of 72 people in a fire at Grenfell Tower in west London has been published more than seven years after the blaze.
PM Keir Starmer today apologised on behalf of the British state - saying families were "let down so badly".
The unscrupulous construction firms shamed by the Grenfell Inquiry will be blocked from getting any more government contracts, he said.
The report reveals:
- Residents ‘abandoned’ and ‘utterly helpless’
- Landlords saw fire safety as ‘inconvenience’
- ‘Defective’ guidance on fire tests
- ‘Systematic dishonesty’ of building firms
- Safety ‘ignored and disregarded’
- All 72 deaths avoidable
- Some victims died before flames reached them
- Government ignored warnings
- Campaigners say ‘Justice not delivered’
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Sir Keir Starmer told MPs this afternoon that ministers will be writing to the companies implicated in the “horrific failings” that led to the 2017 tragedy.
The PM said this would be “the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts”.
Speaking in the Commons - where some of the victims’ families were watching - he issued an apology on behalf of the British state.
The PM said: “I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you. It should never have happened.
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"The country failed in its fundamental duty to protect you...I am deeply sorry.”
He said he would consider all of the recommendations laid out in the Grenfell Inquiry.
The lengthy document – the final report of the inquiry into the 2017 disaster – lays out in detail its findings around the actions of corporate firms in the construction industry, the local authority, London Fire Brigade and government.
A report in 2019, from the first phase of the inquiry, concluded the tower’s cladding did not comply with building regulations and was the “principal” reason for the rapid and “profoundly shocking” spread of the blaze.
This final report, which follows further hearings on the tower’s 2016 refurbishment, presents conclusions on how the west London block of flats came to be in a condition which allowed the flames to spread so quickly.
The Fire Brigades Union has said the Grenfell fire “was a crime caused by deregulation and institutional failings at the highest level”.
The final hearing of the second phase of the inquiry took place in November 2022, with families having previously spoken of their long wait and continued fight for justice.
Cops going through report 'line by line'
Detectives will go through the Grenfell Inquiry report line by line as they have “one chance” to get their investigation right, a senior officer has said.
Those affected by the disaster face a wait of another year to 18 months from the report’s publication before they find out whether any criminal charges will be brought over the tragedy.
Police and prosecutors said in May that investigators will need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said on Wednesday: “Our police investigation is independent of the public inquiry.
“It operates under a different legal framework and so we cannot simply use the report’s findings as evidence to bring charges.
“To secure justice for those who died and all those affected by the fire we must examine the report, line by line, alongside the evidence from the criminal investigation.
“As I said previously, this will take us at least 12 to 18 months.
“This will lead to the strongest possible evidence being presented to the Crown Prosecution Service so they can make charging decisions.
“I can’t pretend to imagine the impact of such a long police investigation on the bereaved and survivors, but we have one chance to get our investigation right.
“We will be thorough and diligent in our investigation while moving as swiftly as possible.
"We owe that to those who died and all those affected by the tragedy."
Finally some answers: Analysis by Jack Elsom
BY Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent
Finally some answers for the 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster and the families who have campaigned tirelessly for seven years.
In a major moment for the new Prime Minister, a pitch-perfect Sir Keir Starmer responded to the long-awaited report into the 2017 tragedy with one of the hardest words for a politician to say: sorry.
Addressing them directly in the House of Commons - where some of the bereaved were watching - the PM issued an apology on behalf of the British state.
“The country failed in its fundamental duty to protect you. I am deeply sorry.”
Sir Keir may have been a million miles from government at the time of the fire and during the preceding “decades of failure” that led to it.
But it now falls to him to act. The families today made clear their desire both for justice and for change.
He is already trying to demonstrate he can act quickly, by blocking the named-and-shamed construction firms from getting any more government contracts.
And the full 58 recommendations from Sir Martin Moore-Bick will be considered over the next six months.
But what will likely trouble the PM the most are the terrifying failures of state that appear all-too common in recent years.
How many inquiries in modern times have laid bare a damning assessment of systemic, underlying problems?
Infected blood, the Post Office, Child Sexual Abuse. The list goes on.
Sir Keir has already identified the need to “fix the foundations” of the British state - voters will hope he comes good with some serious change.
Families: only manslaughter charges will bring justice
Only manslaughter charges will bring justice, families of Grenfell victims have blasted after a report laid bare a raft of failings.
The long-awaited report into the deaths of 72 people in a fire at Grenfell Tower in west London has been published more than seven years after the blaze.
At a press conference this afternoon, campaigner Shah Aghlani said the inquiry into the fire was announced while he was still looking for his mother, who died in the blaze.
He spoke out after a report revealed decades of failures which culminated in the fire.
Mr Aghlani said manslaughter charges should have been brought against those responsible far sooner.
And he warned the inquiry risked becoming a "barrier" to justice instead of delivering it.
He said: "An inquiry was announced on a day that I was looking for my mum, basically going from hospital to hospital trying to see which hospital she might be in.
"To me, I was looking at the tower, and I was telling myself all the evidence is before your eyes.
"I think if somebody wanted to create a system that prevents justice occurring, you could not have designed a better system that is in place.
"Now, the system, I think the government knowingly derailed the justice that should have followed.
They should have ensured that such an inquiry does not become a barrier to holding the perpetrators of the crime and making him fully accountable.
"But I'm afraid that this is what happened.
"The task of the inquiry, the mammoth task as it was going through all those documents of titanic proportions is not deniable.
"But the reality is to me, I don't have justice and any future prosecution that is foreseeable.
"There are no consequences for people who fail while they are in office. They can just go and ignore it.
"They are not afraid. If we had rightful prosecution in hand, these things won't happen.
"To me it's a manslaughter charge and nothing less would do. Unless it's fixed, you are not safe in your own home."
What are the report's main findings?
The government ignored warnings
For almost three decades before the fire the government had “many opportunities” to identify the risks posed especially to high-rise budlings by flammable cladding and insulation, the report said.
By 2016, the year before the fire, it was “well aware of those risks, but failed to act on what it knew”.
After the Lakanal House fire in Camberwell, south London, in July 2009, in which six people died, the coroner’s recommendations were “not treated with any sense of urgency”.
"Legitimate concerns” were “repeatedly met with a defensive and dismissive attitude by officials and some ministers”.
Safety matters ‘ignored, delayed or disregarded’
Following the Lakanal House fire, the government had a “deregulatory agenda, enthusiastically supported by some junior ministers and the secretary of state”.
This agenda “dominated the department’s thinking to such an extent that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded”.
‘Systematic dishonesty’ by cladding firms
Grenfell Tower came to be wrapped in flammable material because of “systematic dishonesty” among those who made and sold cladding panels and insulation products.
These firms “engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing processes, misrepresent test data and mislead the market”.
A former government agency, the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which provided advice on building and fire safety was “complicit in that strategy” when it came to the main insulation product from Celotex.
The BRE was privatised in 1997, but years before that “much of the work it carried out in relation to testing the fire safety of external walls was marred by unprofessional conduct, inadequate practices, a lack of effective oversight, poor reporting and a lack of scientific rigour.”
Its systems were concluded not to have been “robust enough to ensure complete independence”.
It was judged to have played “an important part in enabling Celotex and Kingspan to market their products” for use in the external walls of high-rise buildings.
The certification bodies, the British Board of Agrement (BBA) and the Local Authority Building Control (LABC), “failed to ensure that the statements in their product certificates were accurate and based on test evidence”.
The UKAS, which is responsible for oversight of certification bodies, “failed to apply proper standards of monitoring and supervision”.
Fire tests were ‘fundamentally defective’
Statutory guidance on complying with a requirement under the Building Regulations requiring the external walls of a building to “adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another” was concluded to be “fundamentally defective”.
The use of Class 0, meaning “limited combustibility”, as a standard of fire performance for products to be used on the outside walls of tall buildings was “wholly inappropriate”.
Neither of the main British Standard tests reflected the development of a fire on the outside of a building or gave the information needed to assess how an external wall incorporating the product would perform in a fire.
Landlords treated fire safety as ‘an inconvenience’
There was a “persistent indifference to fire safety, particularly the safety of vulnerable people” between 2009 and the time of the fire.
The council – the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and the landlord organisation – the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) were jointly responsible for the management of fire safety at the tower.
But the demands of doing so “were viewed by the TMO as an inconvenience rather than an essential aspect of its duty to manage its property carefully”.
In turn, RBKC’s oversight of the TMO’s performance was “weak and fire safety was not subject to any key performance indicator”.
‘Merry-go-round of buck-passing’
There was a “serious lack of competence” and in some cases “outright dishonesty” when it came to the tower’s 2015-2016 refurbishment.
The report said: “Regrettably, the Grenfell Tower refurbishment was marked by a serious lack of competence on the part of many of those engaged on it and, in the case of some manufacturers of construction products, outright dishonesty.”
The failure to establish clearly who was responsible for what, including for ensuring designs were compliant with statutory requirements, resulted in an “unedifying ‘merry-go-round of buck-passing’.
The construction professionals all pointed the finger at each other as being the person whose responsibility it was to make one or other of the critical decisions”.
London Fire Brigade's ‘chronic lack of effective management and leadership’
The fire service did not fail to understand the lessons of the Lakanal House fire.
In fact its response “showed that it understood its significance immediately”, the report said.
But its failure “lay in its inability to implement any effective response”.
This failure had “many causes”, including a “chronic lack of effective leadership”, combined with “undue emphasis on process and a culture of complacency”.
Senior managers at the LFB failed to take steps to ensure that its arrangements for handling fire survival calls reflected national guidance.
Senior officers were complacent about the operational efficiency of the brigade and lacked the management skills to recognise the problems or the will to correct them.
Residents left feeling ‘abandoned’ and ‘utterly helpless’
The response of government and RKBC in the first week was described by the inquiry as “muddled, slow, indecisive and piecemeal”.
It concluded the council should have done more and that some aspects of the response “demonstrated a marked lack of respect for human decency and dignity and left many of those immediately affected feeling abandoned by authority and utterly helpless”.
The local authority had no effective plan and had not trained staff adequately to deal with such an incident.
But, the report noted, “none of that was due to any lack of financial resources”.
It credited members of the local community for their help in the immediate aftermath, which “only emphasised the inadequacies of the official response”.
Victims' cause of death
Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick made findings about the cause of death, in an effort to assist the coroner as well as “sparing the relatives of those who died the stress of prolonged proceedings”.
“In light of the expert evidence we are able to make findings about the cause of death, including findings that all those whose bodies were destroyed by the fire were dead or unconscious when the fire reached them,” the report stated.
Key figures singled out for criticism
Lord Pickles, communities and local government secretary, 2010-2015
As secretary of state in the department responsible for building regulations, the inquiry found Lord Pickles oversaw a culture focused on deregulation, where civil servants felt unable to raise concerns about fire safety.
Sir Martin said there was a “wealth of material” to show Lord Pickles was an “ardent supporter” of deregulation and “the pressure within the department to reduce red tape was so strong that civil servants felt the need to put it at the forefront of every decision”.
Lord Pickles himself told the inquiry he would have regarded it as “ludicrous” if civil servants thought the drive for deregulation covered building regulations.
But Sir Martin said documentary evidence supported claims by officials that deregulation was “a dominant influence within the department”.
He said it was “not uncommon” for the building regulations and standards division to receive emails thanking them for their efforts in meeting Lord Pickles’ “ambition on deregulation”.
The report said: “In the years that followed the Lakanal House fire the Government’s deregulatory agenda, enthusiastically supported by some junior ministers.
"The secretary of state (Lord Pickles), dominated the department’s thinking to such an extent that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded.”
It concluded: “The failure to foster a culture in which concerns could be raised and frank advice given represents a serious failure of leadership on the part of ministers and senior officials.”
During the inquiry itself, Lord Pickles provoked outrage from survivors after giving the wrong figure for the number of people killed in the disaster, saying 96 rather than 72.
Brian Martin, principal construction professional, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
Brian Martin had been the civil servant in charge of building regulations for fire safety for 17 years by the time of the fire, including the guidance in Approved Document B, the official fire safety guidance for the construction industry.
Sir Martin’s inquiry found he had been given “too much freedom of action without adequate oversight” and repeatedly failed to bring fire safety risks to the attention of his superiors.
The report said: “It is not clear how Brian Martin was chosen to be the official with day-to-day responsibility for the Building Regulations and Approved Document B, why he was allowed to remain in that position for so long, or why he was allowed to wield so much influence over the department’s response to developments.”
The inquiry found Mr Martin had shown “little appetite” for reviewing Approved Document B, even after the inquests into a fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell, south London, in 2009.
He also played a role in shutting down the Building Research Establishment’s investigation into the fire after barely a month, citing concerns about the cost of an investigation.
The inquiry accused him of making “misleading statements” to the Lakanal House inquests and providing “disingenuous” advice to then-housing minister Don Foster after the inquests concluded in 2013, in which he “set out to give the minister to understand that the coroner’s concerns were in fact groundless”.
Carl Stokes, fire assessor, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO)
A former firefighter, Carl Stokes was responsible for carrying out fire assessments for the whole of KCTMO’s estate.
The inquiry found he had been “allowed to drift into” his role, for which he was not qualified.
The report said: “He had misrepresented his experience and qualifications (some of which he had invented) and was ill-qualified to carry out fire risk assessments on buildings the size and complexity of Grenfell Tower, let alone to hold the entire TMO portfolio.
“As a result there was a danger that fire risk assessments would not meet the required standard.”
The report said Mr Stokes’ methods for carrying out fire risk assessments “suffered from serious shortcomings”, including often failing to check whether the TMO had taken action to respond to identified risks.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) officers had also expressed concerns about his competence, but KCTMO “continued to rely uncritically on him”, making the danger “more acute”.
Robert Black, chief executive, KCTMO
The inquiry found an “entrenched reluctance” on the part of KCTMO boss Robert Black to tell either his board or the local authority’s scrutiny committee about fire safety issues or LFB’s concerns about compliance with safety regulations.
It said: “That failure was all the more serious because there were chronic and systemic failings in the TMO’s management of fire safety of which the board should have been made aware.”
During the inquiry, retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick heard Mr Black waited two hours before forwarding a list of residents to firefighters on the night of the blaze, saying his organisation had no role in emergency planning.
Mr Black quit as KCTMO chief executive on June 30 2017, 16 days after the fire.
Nicholas Holgate, chief executive, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC)
Nicholas Holgate’s response to the disaster was strongly criticised by Sir Martin, who found he had been “unduly concerned for RBKC’s reputation”.
Describing Mr Holgate as “reluctant to take advice” from those with more experience, Sir Martin said he was “not capable of taking effective control of the situation and mobilising support of the right kind without delay”.
He resigned on June 22 2017, eight days after the fire.
What are the report's recommendations?
Construction industry
The final report concluded that the construction industry has become “too complex and fragmented” – leading Sir Martin Moore-Bick to recommend the Government draw together 12 functions of the industry under a single regulator.
These include the regulation of construction products, testing and certification of such products, and regulation and oversight of building control.
The Government has been advised to bring all functions relating to fire safety into one department under a single secretary of state rather than multiple departments, and to appoint a chief construction adviser with sufficient budget and staff for all construction industry-related matters.
The report also suggested the official fire safety guidance, known as Approved Document B, be reviewed and revised accordingly, with the revised version containing a clear warning in each section that the legal requirements are contained in the Building Regulations.
Sir Martin also recommended reviewing the Building Safety Act – in particular the definition of a “higher-risk” building, to incorporate the likely presence of vulnerable people.
As part of the nine recommendations for the construction industry, the report also said bodies advising on changes to the guidance should include academics as well as those with practical experience in the field.
Fire safety and tests
Sir Martin recommended that a fire safety strategy be produced by a registered fire engineer as a legal requirement for the construction or refurbishment of any “higher-risk” building – taking into account the needs of vulnerable people.
He also said new fire performance test methods should be developed in conjunction with academics and professionals in order for the assessments to be carried out reliably.
The report also urged the Government to make it clear that a cladding fire safety test which mimics a blaze breaking out of a window, known as BS8414, should not be used as a substitute for a qualified fire engineer’s assessment.
Construction standards
Sir Martin recommended that the construction regulator should be responsible for assessing the compliance of products with legal requirements and industry standards – with a certificate being issued as appropriate.
He added that all supporting test results should be included in the certificate by the construction regulator, and that a full testing history should be provided by the manufacturer.
Fire engineers
The report suggested that fire engineers should be recognised and protected by law and that an independent body should be established to regulate the profession.
Sir Martin recommended the Government take urgent steps to increase the number of places on high-quality Masters-level fire engineering courses, and work with professional bodies to encourage the development of fire engineering courses as part of their training.
It was suggested the Government also convene experts to produce an authoritative statement on the knowledge and skills expected of a competent fire engineer.
Architects and contractors
Sir Martin said changes made to improve the education and training of architects should be reviewed to “ensure they are sufficient”.
He also recommended a statement be taken from a senior manager of the principal designer of a higher-risk building which would confirm all reasonable steps had been taken to ensure the construction would be “as safe as is required by the Building Regulations”.
The report also suggested a licensing scheme be introduced for principal contractors – with a director or senior manager of the principal contractor making a personal undertaking to “take all reasonable care” to ensure the building is legally safe on completion.
Building control
The Government is recommended by the report to appoint an independent panel to consider whether it is in the public interest for building control functions to be “performed by those who have a commercial interest in the process”, and whether they should be performed by a national authority.
A construction library
Sir Martin suggested that the construction regulator should sponsor the development of a library for high-rise building designers, incorporating data on product and material tests, and reports on serious fires.
Response to recommendations
The report recommended it be a legal requirement for the Government to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, inquiries and coroners, together with a description of steps taken in response.
Fire risk assessors
Sir Martin recommended that the Government establish a mandatory accreditation system to certify the competence of fire risk assessors by setting standards for qualification.
London Fire Brigade (LFB)
The Government has been urged by the inquiry chairman to establish a College of Fire and Rescue to provide a number of services nationally, including practical training, lectures, research and setting national standards.
Sir Martin suggested the fire and rescue services inspectorate inspect LFB as soon as reasonably possible to assess the effectiveness of the control room, the training of incident commanders at all levels and their competence, and the way it collects, stores and distributes information.
The report said all firefighters should be provided with digital radios, and be trained in how to respond to loss of communications and how to restore them.
The chairman said fire and rescue services which continue to use low-power intrinsically safe radios as part of breathing apparatus should consider only using them in situations where there is a “real risk of igniting flammable gases”.
LFB was also urged to provide basic training on the operation of the water supply system to all firefighters, and it was suggested fire brigades should establish an agreed protocol with water companies to enable “effective communication” in relation to the supply of water for firefighting.
The National Fire Chiefs Council was also recommended to consider whether firefighters should be discouraged from departing from their instructions on their own initiative.
Response and recovery
Sir Martin recommended that a designated secretary of state be granted power to carry out the functions of a Category One responder – those at the heart of emergency responses – for a limited period of time under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
The chairman also suggested regulations be amended to require Category One responders to establish and maintain partnerships with the voluntary, community and faith organisations.
The report recommended the guidance on preparing for emergencies be revised to consider the requirements for recovery, the need to identify vulnerable people, and the importance of identifying and ensuring co-operation with voluntary, community and faith groups.
Sir Martin said local resilience forums should adopt national standards to ensure effective training preparation and planning for emergencies and that a mechanism be introduced for independently verifying the frequency and quality of training provided by local authorities and other Category One responders.
Local authorities
The final report recommended local authorities train all employees, including chief executives, to regard resilience as an integral part of their responsibilities.
Sir Martin suggested they devise methods of obtaining and recording information to identify those who may end up being displaced or going missing from the building.
Temporary accommodation arrangements were also suggested as something to be looked at, as well as contingency plans for providing immediate financial assistance to people affected by an emergency.
Local authorities were also urged to give consideration to the availability of key workers and the role they are expected to play in an emergency, and establishing good communications with those who would need assistance.
How politicians reacted to the damning report
The Prime Minister has apologised to those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster on behalf of the British state for the string of failures that led to the fatal fire.
Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that the survivors, bereaved families and the community around Grenfell had been “let down very badly” before, during and after the fire that killed 72 people in 2017.
His apology followed publication of the final report of the inquiry into the disaster, led by retired judge Sir Martin Moor-Bick, which blamed “decades of failure” in government and the construction industry for the fire.
Speaking to the families of those killed in the fire, some of whom were present in the gallery of the Commons, he said: “I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you, and indeed to all of the families affected by this tragedy.
“It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones, the people that we are here to serve, and I am deeply sorry.”
The Prime Minister signalled his support for calls that the companies involved in the disaster be banned from receiving government contracts, and said the Government would support the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the fire.
He said it was “imperative that there is full accountability, including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible”.
Reflecting on a private visit to Grenfell Tower he made two weeks ago, the Prime Minister said it had left him with a “personal determination to make the legacy of Grenfell Tower one of the defining changes to our country that I want to make as Prime Minister”.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the inquiry report was “a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failure” and painted a picture of “systemic indifference, failure and in some notable cases dishonesty and greed”.
Associating himself with the apology offered by his predecessor, Baroness Theresa May, in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, he said he wanted to “extend my deepest apologies to the families and victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy”.
He said: “The state let you down, and it must never do so again.”
Baroness May herself said in a statement that national and local government, regulators and industry “must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy”.
She said the report was “a significant step in providing the Grenfell community with the answers they deserve after 72 people died, deaths that we now know were avoidable”.
Other political figures joined calls for action, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan saying those responsible for the fire should be banned from receiving government contracts and urging the Crown Prosecution Service to bring criminal charges against them.
He said: “The inquiry makes clear in stark terms that all these deaths were entirely avoidable, and that the residents of Grenfell Tower have paid the price for systematic dishonesty, corporate greed and institutional indifference and neglect.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the inquiry’s report should not “become another dust-covered book sitting on a shelf in Whitehall” and demanded dangerous cladding be removed from all buildings “as quickly as possible”.
'It could have been me', says 12-year-old
Abem, 12, was just four years old at the time of the blaze.
He was rushed out of the building by his parents, and recalls staying at a friend's home that evening and looking out of the window.
He said: "I see a tall building block engulfed in flames. I don't know what it was. And then later I realised that it was my own home."
The child added: "It could have been me."
Abem lost his best friend, five-year-old Isaac Paulos, in the blaze.
Surviving children speak out
Children who survived the fire seven years ago have revealed the impact it had on them.
Luana Gomes, now 19, was 12 at the time of the blaze and managed to escape with her pregnant mother and sister, but they were in a coma for weeks, reports.
Her baby brother, Logan, was stillborn. He was the youngest victim of the blaze.
Luana says her friends Mehdi would knock on her door and was frightened of her dog.
The eight-year-old boy died in the fire along with his parents, brother and sister.
Luana said: "I feel a bit guilty. When you think about your friends and family members and neighbours - I feel guilty that I'm here living and doing all this stuff, and they didn't get the chance to live and do the stuff they wanted to at such a young age."
She recalled how she missed weeks of school due to being in hospital, and has suffered from anxiety and depression over the last seven years.
She grabbed her textbooks as her family fled the blaze, before having to sit her GCSE chemistry exam the following morning.
She has spent much of the last seven years trying to escape the title 'Grenfell Girl', which people would call her in the days following the disaster.
Yousra Cherbika, 19, remembers watching the tower burn at just 12 years old while calling her friend Nur Huda to "get out".
Nur's whole family died in the fire.
Answers for victims and their families
By Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent
Finally some answers for the 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster and the families who have campaigned tirelessly for seven years.
In a major moment for the new Prime Minister, a pitch-perfect Sir Keir Starmer responded to the long-awaited report into the 2017 tragedy with one of the hardest words for a politician to say: sorry.
Addressing them directly in the House of Commons - where some of the bereaved were watching - the PM issued an apology on behalf of the British state.
“The country failed in its fundamental duty to protect you. I am deeply sorry.”
Sir Keir may have been a million miles from government at the time of the fire and during the preceding “decades of failure” that led to it.
But it now falls to him to act. The families today made clear their desire both for justice and for change.
He is already trying to demonstrate he can act quickly, by blocking the named-and-shamed construction firms from getting any more government contracts.
And the full 58 recommendations from Sir Martin Moore-Bick will be considered over the next six months.
But what will likely trouble the PM the most are the terrifying failures of state that appear all-too common in recent years.
How many inquiries in modern times have laid bare a damning assessment of systemic, underlying problems?
Infected blood, the Post Office, Child Sexual Abuse. The list goes on.
Sir Keir has already identified the need to “fix the foundations” of the British state - voters will hope he comes good with some serious change.
Bereaved families say 'I will die without having justice'
A man whose sister was killed has said the inquiry has delayed the justice owed to him and other bereaved families.
Karim Khalloufi sister's Khadija was among the 72 who died.
He told a press conference today: "No one has asked me if I wanted this inquiry.
"Maybe I will die without having justice."
Another victim's relative told the event at the Royal Lancaster London hotel he wanted manslaughter charges to be brought, adding "nothing else will do".
The Crown Prosecution Service has said decisions on potential criminal prosecutions are not expected for another two years.
Final moments for one family
In one tragic story heard as part of the inquiry, Ahmed Elgwahry told of his mum and sister's last moments.
In a heart-wrenching final phone call, that lasted from 2.33am until 4.27am, Ahmed tried to encourage his sister Mariem Elgwahry to flee as her coughing increased.
Ahmed said Mariem, who was in flat 205, started to panic as the landing filled with black smoke.
He then heard her mumbling and making a deep humming sound.
She was initially able to make banging sounds in response to his requests but stopped responding soon after, he said.
Ahmed then heard his mother say in Arabic: “I can’t breathe.”
Around ten minutes later he could hear the sound of glass windows breaking and the fire entering the flat.
Only manslaughter charges will bring justice, families of Grenfell victims have blasted
At a press conference this afternoon, campaigner Shah Aghlani said the inquiry into the fire was announced while he was still looking for his mother, who died in the blaze.
He spoke out after a report revealed decades of failures which culminated in the fire.
Mr Aghlani said manslaughter charges should have been brought against those far sooner.
And he warned the inquiry risked becoming a "barrier" to justice instead of delivering it.
Mr Aghlani said: "An inquiry was announced on a day that I was looking for my mum, basically going from hospital to hospital trying to see which hospital she might be in.
"To me, I was looking at the tower, and I was telling myself all the evidence is before your eyes.
"I think if somebody wanted to create a system that prevents justice occurring, you could not have designed a better system that is in place.
"Now, the system, I think the government knowingly derailed the justice that should have followed.
"They should have ensured that such an inquiry does not become a barrier to holding the perpetrators of the crime and making him fully accountable.
"But I'm afraid that this is what happened.
"The task of the inquiry, the mammoth task as it was going through all those documents of titanic proportions is not deniable.
"But the reality is to me, I don't have justice and any future prosecution that is foreseeable.
"There are no consequences for people who fail while they are in office. They can just go and ignore it.
"They are not afraid. If we had rightful prosecution in hand, these things won't happen.
"To me it's a manslaughter charge and nothing less would do. Unless it's fixed, you are not safe in your own home."
Angela Rayner vow to 'work tirelessly' for justice
Angela Rayner promised to “work tirelessly” to “deliver a stronger culture of safety” following the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who also serves as Housing Secretary, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “We remember the 72 innocent lives lost in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. My thoughts are with the bereaved families, the survivors and residents in the immediate community.
“As Keir Starmer said, on behalf of the British state we apologise to each and every one of them.
“The Grenfell community has campaigned tirelessly to push for justice & change.
“My promise to them is to work tirelessly, with urgency & care, to deliver a stronger culture of safety across the system from top to bottom.”
Local MP: firms put profit before people's lives
Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, said deaths at Grenfell Tower in his constituency were the result of individuals and organisations that were “systematically dishonest and put profit before people’s lives”.
He told MPs: “This is a very painful day for the community. Prime Minister, the shameless merry-go-round of buck-passing that has happened for the last seven years since Grenfell must now come to an end.
“So I want to thank you for your personal commitment to drive the lasting change and to hold people accountable.”
He added: "Can (the Prime Minister) commit to ensuring that companies identified in this report will be excluded from public contracts, held account to the full extent of the law and pay their full weight of financial remediation for the building safety remedial work that is needed?”
Sir Keir Starmer responded: "I can confirm that we will do everything to make sure there is full accountability, including criminal accountability where appropriate.
"I do remind the House that notwithstanding the strong findings in the report, it is the last thing now that the victims, bereaved and the community want or need is for anything to go wrong with possible legal proceedings, so we must all bear that in mind.
"But I absolutely understand the sentiment, and in relation to the contracts, I stand by what I said in my statement."
Starmer vows to probe 'criminal' dishonesty
Sir Keir Starmer said the Grenfell Tower report inspires "a renewed determination to ensure that justice is delivered".
He said: "It is really important that criminality is fully investigated and we will give all support and resource that’s necessary to the relevant authorities."
Sir Keir added: “Clearly, we don’t want to prejudice those criminal proceedings.
"But I don’t think anybody could read this report and not be absolutely shocked at the description of some of the dishonesty.
"This was not just incompetence, it was dishonest, manipulating of tests and the market.
"You can’t read that on the page of this report and not have a renewed determination to ensure that justice is delivered for those who deserve that justice."
Families face yet more delays
In May, the Metropolitan Police said their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.
Bereaved and survivors have described that wait, which could stretch to a decade after the catastrophic fire, as “unbearable”.
A total of 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences, and more than 300 hours of interviews have taken place.
Potential offences under consideration include 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.
Sunak: report a 'damning indictment'
The Grenfell Inquiry report is “a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failures”, former prime minister Rishi Sunak told the House of Commons.
Responding to Sir Keir Starmer’s statement on the 2017 residential tower block fire in west London and inquiry report, Mr Sunak said: “Whilst the Grenfell community’s loss will have left a hole nothing will ever be able to fill, I hope that whatever healing is possible from today, that each and every one of them takes some small measure of it.
“I know they will never forget the 72 people who tragically lost their lives, and nor shall we.
“Today’s publication, as the Prime Minister said, is to put it bluntly, a damning indictment of over 30 years of successive state failures, stretching as far back as Knowsley Heights in 1991 and then multiple incidents from there.
“Sir Martin Moore-Bick and the work of the inquiry have painted a picture of systemic indifference, failure and in some notable cases, dishonesty and greed.”
Starmer: I visited 'utterly terrifying' tower before report
Sir Keir Starmer said he visited Grenfell Tower a fortnight ago and laid a wreath at the memorial wall.
The Prime Minister told the Commons: "As I walked down that narrow staircase from the 23rd floor, and looked at walls burnt by 1,000 degree heat, I got just a sense of how utterly, utterly terrifying it must have been.
"As I saw examples of the cladding on the outside of the building, and listened to descriptions of the catastrophic and completely avoidable failures of that fatal refurbishment, I felt just a sense of the anger that rises through that building.
"That left me with the profound and very personal determination to make the legacy of Grenfell Tower one of the defining changes to our country that I want to make as Prime Minister.
"To the families, the survivors and the immediate community, we will support you now and always – especially those that were children.
"In the memory of your loved ones, we will deliver a generational shift in the safety and quality of housing for everyone in this country, and in the memory of Grenfell we will change our country.
"Not just a change in policy and regulation, although that must of course take place, but a profound shift in culture and behaviour.
“A rebalancing of power that gives voice and respect to every citizen, whoever they are, and wherever they are.
“We will bring the full power of Government to bear on this task, because it’s the responsibility of service and the duty we owe to the memory of every one of the 72."
Starmer: cladding removal 'far too slow'
Sir Keir Starmer said he intends to speed up the process of removing unsafe cladding from buildings, as it is currently moving “far too slow”.
Outlining the Government’s next steps following the Grenfell Inquiry report, the Prime Minister said: "We’re now addressing the recommendation from Sir Martin’s first report to introduce a new residential personal emergency evacuation plan policy for anyone whose ability to evacuate could be compromised, and funding from this from renting and social housing.
“We will look at all 58 of Sir Martin’s recommendations in detail.
"There will be a debate on the floor of this House, we will respond in full to the inquiry’s recommendations within six months.
"We will update Parliament annually on our progress against every commitment that we make.
"But there are some things I can say right now, there are still buildings today with unsafe cladding, and the speed at which this is being addressed is far, far too slow.
"We only have to look at the fire in Dagenham last week, a building that was still in the process of having its cladding removed.
"So this must be a moment of change, we will take the necessary steps to speed this up.
"We will be willing to force freeholders to assess their buildings and enter remediation schemes within set timetables, with a legal requirement to force action if that is what it takes.
"We will set out further steps on remediation this autumn.”
Starmer blasts 'horrific failings'
By Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent
The unscrupulous construction firms shamed by the Grenfell Inquiry will be blocked from getting any more government contracts.
Sir Keir Starmer told MPs this afternoon that ministers will be writing to the companies implicated in the “horrific failings” that led to the 2017 tragedy.
The PM said this would be “the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts”.
Speaking in the Commons - where some of the victims’ families were watching - he issued an apology on behalf of the British state.
The PM said: “I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you.
"It should never have happened. The country failed in its fundamental duty to protect you…I am deeply sorry.”
He said he would consider all of the recommendations laid out in the Grenfell Inquiry.
Starmer: firms involved will be barred from public contracts
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Government would write to all companies found by the inquiry to be part of the “horrific failings” at Grenfell Tower.
He said it would be “the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts”.
Starmer: Grenfell families 'let down so badly'
The PM said: "You’ve been let down so badly, before, during and in the aftermath of this tragedy.
"I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you.
"It should never have happened. The country failed in its fundamental duty to protect you - I am deeply sorry."
Starmer: tragedy must not happen again
The Government will “carefully consider” the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to “ensure that such a tragedy cannot occur again”, the Prime Minister has said.
In a written statement, Sir Keir Starmer noted the report had found “substantial and widespread failings”.
Starmer thanked inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick and panel members Thouria Istephan and Ali Akbor for their work.
He said: “The Government will carefully consider the report and its recommendations, to ensure that such a tragedy cannot occur again.
“I hope that those outside government will do the same.
"Given the detailed and extensive nature of the report, a further and more in-depth debate will be held at a later date.”
The Prime Minister added: “My thoughts today are wholly with those bereaved by, and survivors of, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the residents in the immediate community. This day is for them.
“I hope that Sir Martin’s report can provide the truth they have sought for so long, and that it is a step towards the accountability and justice they deserve.”
He is expected to make a further statement in the House of Commons later today.
Theresa May's statement
Baroness Theresa May of Maidenhead was prime minister at the time of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.
She said national and local government, regulators and industry “must all acknowledge their part in the history and series of events that led to this tragedy”.