MPs spark Grenfell anger by walking out moments before Starmer speech on tragedy

Survivors and families of those killed in the Grenfell fire have reacted with fury at the sight of MPs leaving the House of Commons shortly before the prime minister’s speech about the tragedy.

On Wednesday, the publication of the final report of the inquiry into the tragedy, which was written by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, laid bare the “decades of failure” in government and the construction industry. The report blamed “systematic dishonesty” for the deaths of 72 people in the tower block blaze in 2017.

Following PMQs on Wednesday afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer remained in his seat to reflect on the report. However, dozens of MPs from all sides of the House were seen walking out before the statement, leaving empty benches where hundreds of MPs were sitting just minutes before.

Reacting to the scenes, Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved families of victims of the fire, said it “came as no surprise” that the House emptied, adding. "It shows how many of those within the political elite are a part of the disregard, indifference and incompetence that contributed to the deaths of our 72."

Vice chair of the group, Karin Mussilhy, later said you could see “a flourish of bodies in parliament run”. He told BBC’s Newsnight: “That room was more than half empty. This is the culture we’re talking about. How are we supposed to get justice when they don’t even care?”

ITV news presenter Robert Peston said of the incident: "I was genuinely a bit upset. Actually, vast numbers of MPs simply left after prime minister’s questions. I thought for this statement it would be bursting at the seams. It wasn't. There were lots of empty seats and I was quite shocked actually."

Yahoo News UK has contacted Grenfell United for further comment.

What were the conclusions of the report?

The near-1,700 page final report into the Grenfell Tower fire found victims, bereaved and survivors were “badly failed” through incompetence, dishonesty and greed. It concluded that each death was avoidable and had been preceded by “decades of failure” by government and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, Moore-Bick said. He called out “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.

By 2016, a year before the Grenfell fire, the government was “well aware” of the risks of using combustible cladding panels and insulation, particularly in high-rise buildings, “but failed to act on what it knew”. A drive within government, years before the fire, for deregulation, meant concerns about the safety of life had been “ignored, delayed or disregarded”, the report said, despite the deadly Lakanal House fire which killed six people in 2009.

On the industry side, cladding firm Arconic and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex faced particularly heavy criticism. Arconic was found to have “deliberately concealed from the market the true extent of the danger” of using its cladding product, particularly on high-rise buildings.

Kingspan had, from 2005 and even after the inquiry began in the wake of the fire, “knowingly created a false market in insulation” for use on buildings over 18 metres, the report said. Celotex then, in an attempt to break into this market created by Kingspan, “embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market”, Moore-Bick concluded.

What did Starmer say about the report?

The prime minister told MPs that the survivors, bereaved families and the community around Grenfell had been “let down very badly” before, during and after the fire that killed 72 people in 2017.

He apologised to the families on behalf of the British state, telling them: “The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones, the people that we are here to serve, and I am deeply sorry.”

Starmer signalled his support for calls that the companies involved in the disaster be banned from receiving government contracts, and said the government would support the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the fire.

He said it was “imperative that there is full accountability, including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible”.