Grenfell Tower to be demolished eight years after horror fire killed 72 people

Grenfell Tower block will be demolished, bereaved relatives have been told. Deputy PM and Housing Minister Angela Rayner gave the major update after meeting with survivors and victims' relatives on Wednesday. Charred remains of the Kensington tower block have stayed up and covered in tarpaulin since the catastrophic fire in 2017 which claimed 72 lives. The update is a U-turn from a previous statement from the Government which said there would be no changes to the site before the eighth anniversary this June. A spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Ms Rayner had “announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed”.

In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged “in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down”. The current structure remains covered, with a large green heart and the words "forever in our hearts". There have previously been different views on what should be done with the site. While many victims' loved ones believe the current structure should remain as a powerful reminder until criminal prosecutions are brought over the fire, recommendations have also been set out for a "place of reflection".

Some survivors and families who lost loved ones in the 2017 tragedy said Rayner’s decision was taken without consultation, branding it “Disgraceful and unforgivable.” Grenfell United, the bereaved and survivors family group, said: “We’ve said this to every Secretary of State for Housing since the very beginning: consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the Tower.

“Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the Tower. She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four week consultation. But judging from the room alone–the vast majority of whom were bereaved–no one supported her decision. But she claims it is based on our views. “Today’s meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision. Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved one’s gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable”.

An inquiry into the failings which led to the fatal blaze published its final report in September last year, concluding the disaster was the culmination of "decades of failure" by both the government and construction industry, leading to the decision to clad the tower in highly flammable materials. Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said all 72 deaths were avoidable, with failings coming mostly from "incompetence" but, in some cases, "dishonesty and greed". Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.

Startling recent figures reveal that more than 100,000 UK homes still have unsafe cladding in place more than seven years on from the tragedy. Some 116,000 residential “dwellings” are in buildings with dangerous cladding that have yet to start remediation work, the shocking figures showed. Of these, 13 blocks of flats are still up with similar ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding to Grenfell's, all but one of which still have residents living in them.