More than 50 people and companies face potential criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire after police handed a huge dossier of evidence to prosecutors nearly a decade after the tragedy.
The Metropolitan Police has submitted 20 files to the Crown Prosecution Service relating to 54 individuals and 20 companies in a major milestone in the investigation into the blaze, which killed 72 people in west London in June 2017.
The CPS has been asked to consider charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences, and misconduct in public office.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth described the development as a “milestone moment” for an investigation involving more than 220 officers.
“This is a milestone moment in the police investigation into this devastating tragedy which took the lives of 72 people,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
He added that investigators had taken the time necessary to build what they believe is the strongest possible evidential case.
“While we know this has had a significant impact on those waiting for answers, it has necessarily taken this long to ensure our investigation is meticulous and presents the very best possible evidence to the CPS for charging decisions.”
The CPS has committed to making its charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire in June 2027.
However, any criminal trials are not expected to begin until 2029 at the earliest — 12 years after the disaster.
The prolonged wait has caused deep frustration among bereaved families and survivors, who have repeatedly criticised the time being taken to establish criminal accountability.
A special court is now being considered to handle the potentially complex series of cases.
Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, welcomed the police files being passed to prosecutors but warned that families had already waited too long.
“Bereaved, families and survivors have waited far too long for justice, and we must see criminal accountability,” he said.
“We must do everything in our power to ensure that justice is delivered as swiftly as possible. I will continue working with government ministers to ensure everything is done to avoid any further delays.”
The scale of the police investigation is extraordinary.
Officers have examined the roles of more than 15,000 people and 700 organisations, while submitting 12,600 pages of evidence to the CPS.
Investigators have taken 14,700 statements and gathered more than 27,000 exhibits, including cladding, insulation, doors, windows and other components of the tower.
Even screws, nuts and bolts have been retained as evidence and are being stored in a secure warehouse.
Scale replicas of parts of Grenfell Tower are also being constructed at a cost of £2 million in anticipation of possible criminal proceedings.
The potential prosecutions follow the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which concluded that the disaster had been preceded by “decades of failure” by governments and the building industry to address the dangers posed by combustible materials on high-rise buildings.
The inquiry found that victims, survivors and bereaved families had been “badly failed” through incompetence, dishonesty and greed.
In his final report in 2024, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick concluded that combustible cladding and insulation had been used on the tower amid what he described as “systematic dishonesty” by companies involved in manufacturing and selling the products.
He also condemned the “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire safety testing, the misrepresentation of test data and the misleading of the market.
The CPS will now determine whether the evidence gathered over nine years is sufficient to bring criminal charges — potentially marking the beginning of a further lengthy legal process for one of Britain’s most devastating modern tragedies.
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