The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast BBC Radio

After more than four years, more than three hundred thousand documents, four hundred days of testimony and around £150 million, the Inquiry heard its final evidence.
Lawyers for the core participants put forward the arguments they think the chair of the Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, should consider as he produces his final report.
Lead Counsel Richard Millett said all the deaths at Grenfell Tower were avoidable and strongly criticised companies and organisations involved in the refurbishment for failing to take responsibility.
And Paulos Tekle, a Tower resident, whose five-year-old son lost his life on the night of the fire, tells us what he expects from the final report.
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Luke Radcliff
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

"I can’t undo the past, but I wanted to be a part of making things better”

While the Inquiry has paused hearing evidence, Kate Lamble spoke in depth to Nick Hurd, a former Minister for Policing and the Fire Service and now the government’s independent advisor on Grenfell. She asked about his experiences while in government immediately after the fire and discussed what the future holds for the tower itself and how to memorialise the site.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Studio Mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

Toxicologist Professor David Purser told the Inquiry that the rapid spread of smoke was the principal cause of death, and that burning cladding panels and insulation were the main source of this poisonous smoke. The Inquiry also heard closing statements for Module 4, covering the immediate aftermath of the fire. From next week it will turn into an inquest, so for this reason the podcast will not be covering those hearings. The podcast will return when the Inquiry produces its final report for the government.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

This week the inquiry heard closing statements for Module 6, outlining how combustible materials came to be tested, certified and regulated and ended up being installed on the outside walls of Grenfell Tower. Lawyers representing the Bereaved, Survivors and Residents said the Inquiry had exposed fault-lines in the “edifice of government” and another said the “seeds of the Grenfell Tower fire were sown 20 years earlier”. There was criticism of manufacturers, regulators, building control bodies and of the government, with barristers accusing a “cabal of ministers” of being “enslaved to the deregulatory agenda”.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

This week, as we passed the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, two expert witnesses levelled a series of fierce criticisms at the building safety regime. José Torero, head of the civil engineering department at a London university, described the competence levels among fire safety professionals as “extremely poor” and called for the Stay Put strategy to be abandoned. And Luke Bisby, professor of fire and structures at Edinburgh University, told the Inquiry, that he was “incredulous” at the misuse of fire tests by a cladding firm, and said there was a “significant problem” with the level of competence of fire safety professionals.
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson

This week, the Inquiry moved on from examining the aftermath of the fire and began hearing evidence from a series of experts in fire engineering. Luke Bisby, professor of fire and structures at Edinburgh University, described the results of a test on the cladding panels and insulation installed on the tower as the “most shocking experiment” he had ever seen. Barbara Lane, a fire safety expert, told the Inquiry that the culture inside the Building Control sector was of “worrying standards”. And Ivan Stoianov, an expert in water distribution systems, said that the quantity of water available for firefighters at Grenfell was “more than adequate.”

Presenter: Sharon Hemans
Producers: Kristiina Cooper
Researcher: Marcia Veiga
Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones
Editor: Hugh Levinson