Blaze police consider manslaughter charges

DETECTIVES INVESTIGATING the Grenfell Tower fire have “reasonable grounds” to suspect that corporate manslaughter offences may have been committed, Scotland Yard said last night.

In a letter to residents, the force said senior figures from Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation faced being interviewed by police.

At least 80 people were killed when the blaze ripped through the 24-storey block of flats in west London on June 14.

The letter said the Met’s officers had seized a huge amount of material and taken a large number of witness statements.

It added: “In due course, a senior representative of each corporation will be formally interviewed by police in relation to the potential offence. This interview will not take place immediately, since it is important that all relevant facts and information have been gathered before any such interview is conducted.”

The force added that the facts were “simply an update on the investigation”, adding: “The content of this note should not be taken to conclude that the identified offences and organisations are the only offences, organisations or individuals being investigated.”

Kensington and Chelsea Council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown and his deputy resigned amid fierce criticism of the council’s response to the disaster.

Yvette Williams, a co-ordinator at the Justice 4 Grenfell campaign group, said the development would help restore trust between the police and the west London community.