Labour MP Dawn Butler has urged prosecutors and the government to deliver accountability and lasting change following the Metropolitan Police’s submission of its Grenfell Tower investigation files to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Brent East MP said the development was an important step for the bereaved families and survivors who have waited more than nine years since the fire killed 72 people.
“It is shocking that nine years on, bereaved families and survivors are still waiting for justice,” Butler said. “How is that right or fair? They should never have had to endure such an agonising wait.”
54 individuals and 20 organisations referred
The Met announced on 30 September that it had submitted files concerning 54 individuals and 20 companies and organisations. It has asked the CPS to consider potential offences including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety breaches, fraud and misconduct in public office.
The submission is a step towards possible criminal proceedings. No charging decisions have yet been made, and the CPS has committed to making them before the tenth anniversary of the fire in June 2027.
Butler: ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’
Butler called for the justice system to have the resources needed for a “thorough, fair and timely process”. She said the voices of bereaved families, survivors and the Grenfell community must remain central as prosecutors review the evidence.
She also pressed for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations to be implemented, saying residents’ warnings must never again be ignored.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Butler said. “We owe it to the 72 people who died, and everyone whose life was changed forever, to deliver accountability and change.”
The police investigation is among the most complex undertaken in the UK. Detectives gathered 14,700 statements and more than 27,000 exhibits. The CPS must now assess whether the evidence supports charges against any of those referred to it.
