Public Inquiry
Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Status: Completed
Chair: Sir Martin Moore-Bick
Established: Aug 2017
Report: Sep 2024
Commissioned by: Cabinet Office
Public inquiry into the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017, which killed 72 people. The inquiry examined the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire.
Response breakdown
Evidence & impact
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was established following the fire on 14 June 2017 that resulted in 72 deaths. The inquiry, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, published its Phase 1 report in October 2019 focusing on the events of the night, and its Phase 2 report in September 2024 examining the causes of the fire.
The inquiry's Phase 1 recommendations led to documented changes in fire service operations. London Fire Brigade revised its policies for handling fire survival guidance calls and introduced new training on external wall fires. The National Fire Chiefs Council published guidance addressing evacuation strategies and external wall fire risks. Several fire services introduced electronic systems for recording emergency calls.
Two significant pieces of legislation followed the inquiry's work. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to external walls and flat entrance doors. The Building Safety Act 2022 established the Building Safety Regulator and introduced new requirements for high-rise residential buildings, including the appointment of accountable persons and the maintenance of building safety information.
The inquiry's 104 recommendations span operational procedures, training requirements, regulatory reform, and building safety management. While legislative changes and operational reforms are documented in the public record, evidence of action on several specific recommendations, particularly those requiring inter-service coordination or standardised information systems, has not been identified in publicly available sources.
The inquiry's Phase 1 recommendations led to documented changes in fire service operations. London Fire Brigade revised its policies for handling fire survival guidance calls and introduced new training on external wall fires. The National Fire Chiefs Council published guidance addressing evacuation strategies and external wall fire risks. Several fire services introduced electronic systems for recording emergency calls.
Two significant pieces of legislation followed the inquiry's work. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to external walls and flat entrance doors. The Building Safety Act 2022 established the Building Safety Regulator and introduced new requirements for high-rise residential buildings, including the appointment of accountable persons and the maintenance of building safety information.
The inquiry's 104 recommendations span operational procedures, training requirements, regulatory reform, and building safety management. While legislative changes and operational reforms are documented in the public record, evidence of action on several specific recommendations, particularly those requiring inter-service coordination or standardised information systems, has not been identified in publicly available sources.
Reports & milestones
Reports
Timeline
14 Jun 2017
Grenfell Tower Fi…
Fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington killed 72 people.
15 Jun 2017
Inquiry Announced
Prime Minister Theresa May announced a public inquiry.
29 Jun 2017
Chair Appointed
Sir Martin Moore-Bick appointed as Chair.
14 Sep 2017
Procedural Hearing
First procedural hearing held.
21 May 2018
Phase 1 Hearings …
Phase 1 hearings commenced, examining events of the night of the fire.
30 Oct 2019
Phase 1 Report Pu…
Phase 1 report published with findings on the night of the fire.
· Source
27 Jan 2020
Phase 2 Hearings …
Phase 2 hearings commenced, examining causes of the fire.
Recommendations
| Code | Recommendation | Addressed to | Response | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2-1 |
That the government draw together under a single regulator all the functions relating to the construction industry to which we have referred. …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-2 |
That the definition of a higher-risk building for the purposes of the Building Safety Act be reviewed urgently. (113.7)
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-3 |
That the government bring responsibility for the functions relating to fire safety currently exercised by MHCLG, the Home Office and the Department …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-4 |
That the Secretary of State appoint a Chief Construction Adviser with a sufficient budget and staff to provide advice on all matters …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-5 |
That the statutory guidance generally, and Approved Document B in particular, be reviewed accordingly and a revised version published as soon as …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-6 |
That a revised version of the guidance contain a clear warning in each section that the legal requirements are contained in the …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-7 |
New materials and methods of construction and the practice of overcladding existing buildings make the existence of effective compartmentation a questionable assumption …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-8 |
Calculating the likely rate of fire spread and the time required for evacuation, including the evacuation of those with physical or mental …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-9 |
That, as far as possible, membership of bodies advising on changes to the statutory guidance should include representatives of the academic community …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-10 |
That it be made a statutory requirement that a fire safety strategy produced by a registered fire engineer to be submitted with …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-11 |
Assessing whether an external wall system can support a particular evacuation strategy is difficult because the necessary information is not always available. …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-12 |
BS 9414 should be approached with caution and we recommend that the government make it clear that it should not be used …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-13 |
That the construction regulator should be responsible for assessing the conformity of construction products with the requirements of legislation, statutory guidance and …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-14 |
a) that copies of all test results supporting any certificate issued by the construction regulator be included in the certificate; b) that …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-15 |
That the profession of fire engineer be recognised and protected by law and that an independent body be established to regulate the …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-16 |
That the government take urgent steps to increase the number of places on high-quality masters level courses in fire engineering accredited by …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-17 |
That the government convene a group of practitioner and academic fire engineers and such other professionals as it thinks fit to produce …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-18 |
That the government, working in collaboration with industry and professional bodies, encourage the development of courses in the principles of fire engineering …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-19 |
We recognise that both the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have taken steps since the …
|
ARB/RIBA | Accepted | View → |
| P2-20 |
That it be made a statutory requirement that an application for building control approval in relation to the construction or refurbishment of …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-21 |
That a licensing scheme operated by the construction regulator be introduced for principal contractors wishing to undertake the construction or refurbishment of …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-22 |
That the government appoint an independent panel to consider whether it is in the public interest for building control functions to be …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-23 |
We recommend that the same panel consider whether all building control functions should be performed by a national authority. (113.38)
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-24 |
We have referred to the Cladding Materials Library set up by the University of Queensland, which could form the basis of a …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-25 |
That it be made a legal requirement for the government to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-26 |
That the government establish a system of mandatory accreditation to certify the competence of fire risk assessors by setting standards for qualification …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-27 |
We are not in a position to determine whether greater standardisation of the fire control switches and keys is required. We therefore …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-28 |
That every gas transporter be required by law to check the accessibility of each [pipeline isolation] valve on its system at least …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-29 |
That the government establish [an independent College of Fire and Rescue] immediately with sufficient resources to provide the following services nationally: a) …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-30 |
That [the college] should have a permanent staff of sufficient size to manage its operations and develop its functions in response to …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-31 |
That His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (the Inspectorate) inspect the London Fire Brigade as soon as reasonably …
|
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and F… | Accepted | View → |
| P2-32 |
That as soon as reasonably possible the Inspectorate inspect the London Fire Brigade to examine and report on the arrangements it has …
|
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and F… | Accepted | View → |
| P2-33 |
That as soon as reasonably practicable the Inspectorate inspect the LFB to examine and report on its arrangements for collecting, storing and …
|
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and F… | Accepted | View → |
| P2-34 |
That the London Fire Brigade establish effective standing arrangements for collecting, considering and effectively implementing lessons learned from previous incidents, inquests and …
|
London Fire Brigade | Accepted | View → |
| P2-35 |
That fire and rescue services that continue to use low power intrinsically safe radios as part of breathing apparatus consider reserving them …
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-36 |
That all fire and rescue services give consideration to providing all firefighters with digital radios. (113.60)
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-37 |
Since radio communications are inherently unreliable in certain environments, we recommend that firefighters be trained to respond appropriately to the loss of …
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-38 |
That basic training on the structure and operation of the water supply system, including the different types of hydrants in use and …
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-39 |
That all fire and rescue services establish and periodically review an agreed protocol with the statutory water undertakers in their areas to …
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-40 |
That the British Standards Institution amend BS 750 to include a description of the circumstances under which the flow coefficient to which …
|
British Standards Institution | Accepted | View → |
| P2-41 |
That National Fire Chiefs Council consider whether, and if so in what circumstances, firefighters should be discouraged from departing from their instructions …
|
National Fire Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-42 |
That the [Civil Contingencies] Act [2004] be reviewed and consideration be given to granting a designated Secretary of State the power to …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-43 |
Regulation 23 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005 requires a Category 1 responder to have regard when making …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-44 |
The current guidance on preparing for emergencies is contained in several documents, all of which are unduly long and in some respects …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-45 |
That regard for humanitarian considerations be expressly recognised by making it the ninth principle of effective response and recovery. (113.69)
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-46 |
Events demonstrated, however, that there is a need for a clearer understanding of the nature of the London Gold arrangements, in particular …
|
London Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-47 |
That local resilience forums adopt national standards to ensure effective training, preparation and planning for emergencies and adopt independent auditing schemes to …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-48 |
That a mechanism be introduced for independently verifying the frequency and quality of training provided by local authorities and other Category 1 …
|
UK Government | Accepted in Part | View → |
| P2-49 |
That local authorities train all their employees, including chief executives, to regard resilience as an integral part of their responsibilities. (113.73)
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-50 |
RBKC had no effective means of collecting and recording information about those who had been displaced from the tower and surrounding buildings, …
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-51 |
That all local authorities make such arrangements as are reasonably practicable for enabling them to place people in temporary accommodation at short …
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-52 |
That all local authorities include in their contingency plans arrangements for providing immediate financial assistance to people affected by an emergency. (113.76)
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-53 |
That as part of their planning for emergencies local authorities give detailed consideration to the availability of key workers and the role …
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-54 |
That as part of their emergency planning local authorities make effective arrangements for continuing communication with those who need assistance using the …
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-55 |
That all local authorities include in their plans for responding to emergencies arrangements for providing information to the public by whatever combination …
|
Local Authorities | Accepted | View → |
| P2-56 |
That what in the past has been called by the police a 'casualty bureau' be described in a way that makes it …
|
National Police Chiefs Council | Accepted | View → |
| P2-57 |
That further consideration be given to the recommendations made in the Phase 1 report in the light of our findings in this …
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
| P2-58 |
That the advice contained in paragraph 79.11 of the LGA Guide be reconsidered. (113.83)
|
UK Government | Accepted | View → |
Parliamentary activity
11 debates
123 questions
39 statements
20 May 2026
Written Ministerial Statement
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report Update
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)
20 May 2026
Written Ministerial Statement
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report Update
Samantha Dixon (Labour)
Samantha Dixon (Labour)
18 May 2026
Written Question
Fire and Rescue Services: Innovation and Research
Siân Berry (Green Party)
Siân Berry (Green Party)
17 Dec 2025
Written Ministerial Statement
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Recommendations – Progress
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour)
17 Dec 2025
Written Ministerial Statement
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Recommendations – Progress
Samantha Dixon (Labour)
Samantha Dixon (Labour)
Costs
| Period | Total | Inquiry legal | CP legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 (cum.) | £177,639,000 | £30,408,000 | £68,888,000 | link |
| Jan 2025 | £4,426,000 | £800,000 | £1,017,000 | link |
| Mar 2024 | £3,245,000 | £1,444,000 | — | link |
| Mar 2023 | £20,698,000 | £4,815,000 | £8,318,000 | link |
| Mar 2022 | £31,939,000 | £6,604,000 | £11,299,000 | link |
| Mar 2021 | £77,064,000 | £11,615,000 | £31,152,000 | link |
| Mar 2019 | £40,267,000 | £5,130,000 | £18,887,000 | link |