Ex-judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick opens Grenfell Tower fire inquiry
Inquiry chairman Sir Martin-Moore Bick described the blaze in west London as "a tragedy unprecedented in modern times."
Thursday 14 September 2017 19:51, UK
The chairman of the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire says there is a debt owed to those who died to uncover the truth of the tragedy.
Retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick opened the inquiry with a 45-minute statement.
At the beginning of proceedings, Sir Martin led a minute's silence in remembrance of the victims of the 14 June disaster.
He described the deaths of at least 80 people in the west London tower block as "a tragedy unprecedented in modern times".
:: Who is Sir Martin Moore-Bick?
Sir Martin said he and his team would work to find out "how a disaster of this kind could occur in 21st century London" which, he hoped, would "provide a small measure of solace".
His statement revealed:
:: The inquiry will have two phases, although both will be conducted in parallel.
:: The first will focus on how the fire started and spread, along with the events in the hours until it was extinguished.
:: The second will examine "how the building came to be so seriously exposed to the risk of a disastrous fire", including past communication between residents and local authorities over the tower's safety. It will also look at the response in the days after the disaster.
:: The inquiry's terms of reference are "deliberately" broad to allow Sir Martin to "pursue whatever lines of inquiry seem likely to be fruitful".
:: A further list of issues the inquiry will look at has been published
:: He hopes to begin taking evidence from witnesses by the end of this year
:: He will aim to produce a first report on the inquiry's first phase by Easter 2018
:: The process of gathering evidence has "already begun in earnest"
The former High Court judge paid tribute to the firefighters who battled the Grenfell Tower inferno and local residents who "have done so much to help and support each other in these very difficult weeks".
He also expressed his astonishment that some of those children caught up in the disaster had returned to school the day after the fire to sit exams.
Sir Martin said there was an "entirely natural and understandable" sense of "anger and betrayal" within the local community after their world was turned "upside down".
But, promising to work "calmly and rationally", he warned his job is not "to punish anyone or to award anyone compensation" but "simply to get at the truth".
Yet, Sir Martin insisted he will "not shrink" from making any findings or recommendations even if parties may later face civil or criminal liability.
Police are currently conducting their own investigations over possible criminal offences, which Scotland Yard has said could include corporate manslaughter charges.
Sir Martin also vowed not to hesitate in using his statutory powers in order to obtain documents needed for the inquiry's work.
Urging all parties involved in his inquiry to co-operate, Sir Martin said: "We are all searching for the truth.
"We owe it to those who died to work together to achieve that goal."
Reverend Mike Long of the Notting Hill Methodist Church, close to Grenfell Tower and where a video stream of Sir Martin's statement was broadcast on Thursday, offered a cautious welcome of the retired judge's words.
He told Sky News: "It's interesting that he's used those words, particularly the word 'betrayal', because that's exactly how many here feel.
"An acknowledgement of the word 'betrayal', which is a very strong word, at least gives some indication that there is an understanding of the lack of trust that many local people have and have had in local authorities here.
"And perhaps that might enable the inquiry to be able to find ways to reassure the public, particularly local residents, that they are being utterly transparent and are looking at the deeper causes of this appalling tragedy."
Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad described Sir Martin's statement as a "cold, clinical process".
The Labour politician said: "There has been huge anxiety about how this would happen.
"A lot of anxiety - and some people have literally come out here today for the first time. They've been stuck, they've been within their community.
"They made a huge effort to come here and then what do we have - it was a very cold, clinical process and then the judge got up and walked out.
"It was very odd, I found it quite strange."