The Grenfell Tower is set to be demolished, nearly eight years after the devastating fire killed 72 people.
The tower block in west London caught fire in June 2017, and has remained abandoned since.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is understood to have told a meeting with bereaved relatives and survivors a formal announcement over the fate of the building would be made on Friday.
However, campaign group Grenfell United said Rayner “refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors” had been spoken to about the plans, saying ignoring their voices “on the future of our loved ones’ gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable”.
Marcio Gomes of Grenfell United speaks on stage following a silent walk near Grenfell Tower
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The Grenfell tower in West London
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Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London
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A spokesman for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Rayner had “announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed”.
The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September 2024, concluded the disaster was the result of “decades of failure” by Government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
The inquiry’s chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation.
He said the “simple truth” is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were “badly failed” by authorities “in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed”.
LATEST ON THE GRENFELL TOWER FIRE:
The final report published by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
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There has been a split about what should be done with the site, with some bereaved and survivors feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire.
Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, arguing the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones.
A Government spokesman said: “The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower.
“This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.”
Photos of some of the victims of the Grenfell tower fire
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The Grenfell Tower fire was described as one of the worst modern day tragedies in British history
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Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.
The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as “unbearable”.
The report published last year illustrated a “path to disaster” at the West London tower block, stretching back to the early 1990s over how fire safety in high-rise buildings has been managed and regulated. The coalition and Conservative governments “ignored, delayed or disregarded” concerns about the safety of industry practices, the inquiry said.
Sir Keir Starmer apologised on behalf of the British state, saying those affected had been “let down very badly before, during and in the aftermath of the tragedy”.
