Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) Phase 2 report
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) Phase 2 report will be made public at 11.00am on Wednesday 4 September 2024. This is the culmination of seven years of a public inquiry into the worst domestic fire in living memory, when 72 people died and a whole community was devastated.
The FBU has been a core participant in the public inquiry. The union is immensely proud of our members – firefighters, officers and emergency control staff – who did everything possible to save lives on the night. The FBU has participated fully in the inquiry, representing members, making more than 30 detailed submissions, as well as providing key evidence. The union has campaigned for justice for Grenfell and wants those culpable held to account.
The FBU believes the Grenfell Tower fire exposed systemic failures in building safety and fire safety that go back more than 40 years. They are the result of decades of deregulation watering down the law, poor guidance, and weak enforcement. Westminster governments since Thatcher have attacked what they regard as ‘red tape’ and what in reality were legal regulations to protect safety. Deregulation gave cladding manufacturers and private building contractors the opportunity to ruin people’s lives and homes.
The FBU has warned repeatedly over those 40 years about the dangers of deregulation and austerity. The union warned MPs in 1999 about cladding and demanded action. The FBU warned about‘Stay Put’ in 2007. The union had to fight the cuts and stop the privatisation of fire and rescue in the immediate years before the Grenfell Tower fire. The FBU was the central organisation defending the service and the workforce over those years.
The FBU will consider the GTI report very carefully. It is expected to be more than 1,500 pages long, over several volumes. We hope the recommendations will identity the real culprits and lead to a systemic change. The FBU has called for a complete overhaul of the fire and rescue service regime. The union wants investment and a statutory advisory body, including the FBU, to oversee the necessary changes. The FBU wants all aspects of the service to be publicly owned and controlled, included testing, certification and enforcement. We cannot just continue with business as usual.
We will continue to campaign alongside the Grenfell community. The union will meet with ministers, mayors, civil servants and politicians to learn the lessons from Grenfell, so that such a tragedy can never happen again. The FBU wants this to be a turning point, both for firefighters and public safety.
The FBU will publish briefings, circulars, videos as well as other materials once we have assessed the report. The union is holding an online briefing on Thursday 5 September at 18.30 to provide members with an initial assessment. Please see our website and emails for details.
Yours in unity,
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) Phase 2 report
