Calls for swift justice after Grenfell inquiry report
Thursday’s newspapers are largely united in wanting those criticised in the report to be held to account.
Calls for justice and swift punishment for those found at fault by the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry are shared across Thursday’s newspapers.
The Government is examining the report’s recommendations and the papers are largely united in appealing for rapid action after waiting seven years for the findings to be published.
Under the headline “Still no justice for the victims of Grenfell”, The Daily Telegraph said the inquiry “appears to have satisfied no one” and the time it has taken “has deepened the anger of those who lost family members”.
The paper said: “They want justice but feel it has so far been denied them.”
It described the tower as “the charred symbol of a polarised nation, a reminder of the reality of life for the poor, immigrants and refugees crammed behind its facade in the richest borough in Britain.”
The paper hit out at the use of the combustible cladding to conform to new eco-friendly regulations.
“Safety cannot take second place to the pursuit of green emissions targets,” it said.
“As to justice for the bereaved families, that will take many more years to come, if it ever does.”
The Times said the report “lays bare a catalogue of moral, professional and political failures” but warns that it could be repeated.
“The Grenfell inquiry was a necessary exercise but the lateness of the report saps much of its value” the paper wrote.
“Those whose actions crossed the line from mere incompetence and callous indifference into criminality are still a long way from their deserved appointments with justice.”
It calls for the report’s recommendation of a single secretary of state heading “a clear chain of responsibility for building safety” to be taken further with a minister given the job of forcing through existing remedial work.
“The scale of the task requires nothing less,” it said.
“Grenfell was a tragedy born of moral, professional and political failure. It must not be repeated.”
The Daily Express also asks why the inquiry has taken so long, calling the likely wait of another three years for prosecutions “deeply worrying”.
“The police and the Crown Prosecution Service must ensure that court action comes quickly” it said, saying it is “imperative” Sir Keir Starmer delivers on a promise to ensure a similar tragedy cannot be repeated.
The Daily Mail says the report “elicits three powerful emotions – sadness, incomprehension and, finally, intense anger”.
“This tragedy was a stain on the nation,” the paper wrote. “Yet no one could fail to be moved by the dignity the bereaved have shown to during their ordeal.
“The least they deserve is justice.”
The Daily Mirror echoes the report’s view that “not a single person should have died” and calls for the guilty to be held to account.
“Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report has provided the victims of the fire with the truth but it has not provided them with justice,” it said.
“Never again should lives be treated with such disdain or people’s fears dismissed with such derision.”
The Sun joins the call for justice to be done, saying “it is appalling it will take so long” as it described the inquiry’s “dossier of deceit, incompetence and neglect” as “beyond comprehension”.
