The Grenfell Tower inquiry panel is to be widened to include people with the skills to examine the cultural and community reasons behind the fatal fire, following pressure from survivors and families of victims, the government has announced.
The move comes after Theresa May originally opposed adding panel members alongside the existing inquiry chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a retired high court judge and a specialist in contract law.
In December, May appeared to reject a request from bereaved family members for a diverse decision-making panel to sit alongside the head of the public inquiry. That call was backed by a petition eventually signed by more than 156,000 people and promoted by the musician Stormzy, which was triggered by concerns over Moore-Bick’s ability to relate to the survivors.
The additional two panel members will join the inquiry for its second stage, which is not scheduled to begin until December at the earliest.
The first stage, which begins on 21 May, will hear tributes to the deceased and then examine the night of the fire itself and the response of emergency services. The second stage will look at the lead-up to the fire, including decisions made over the refurbishment by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which has been widely blamed for the spreading of the blaze on 14 June 2017, which claimed 72 lives.
Moore-Bick wrote to May on Friday, saying: “I note that you are minded to appoint additional panel members to the inquiry for phase 2. I therefore look forward to receiving ... for my consideration ... the names of those who you consider suitable.”
Adel Chaoui, who lost four relatives in the fire and led the petition for the Grenfell United survivors’ and bereaved group, said they were relieved at the decision, but should not have had to campaign for it.
“This is a huge step for all of us who are desperate to make sure the inquiry delivers truth and justice for the loved ones we lost in the fire and those that survived,” he said. “When we met the prime minister a few weeks ago to make our case for a panel we felt she listened to us. Today she has shown she heard us. We thank the prime minister for this. We also thank over 100 MPs who came to meet us in parliament on Tuesday.”
There has been growing pressure on Downing Street to change its position and it is understood the inquiry was discussed in cabinet on Tuesday this week. Several survivors have had meetings with May. Karim Mussilhy, who lost his uncle, and Sandra Ruiz, who lost her niece, were part of the campaign.
“This panel means that the inquiry will have the expertise it needs to get to the truth of why our community was not listened to when we raised concerns, why such a dangerous refurbishment could be allowed to go ahead and all the issues that led up to that awful night,” Chaoui said. “These are the questions that need to be answered to make sure this never happens again.”
David Lammy MP said the decision was “a huge step forward in the fight for justice”.
“It is testament to the courage and hard work of the Grenfell Tower survivors,” he said, “the families of the bereaved and the wider community. This campaign should not have been required, but I am pleased that the prime minister has finally seen sense. What is now absolutely crucial is that the inquiry can work swiftly to gain the trust of the Grenfell families because without this trust and confidence the inquiry will fail to deliver the justice that they need and deserve.”
Richard Burgon MP, shadow justice secretary, said: “After everything they have been through, the bereaved families and the survivors should never have had to wage this campaign.
“The demand for a panel was always about ensuring the trust of the community in the Inquiry and it should have been delivered from the start. For the Grenfell inquiry to deliver truth and justice, it must always have the full confidence of the bereaved families and survivors and it is essential that, going forward, all their other demands are properly met.”
May said the decision was “to ensure that the inquiry panel itself also has the necessary breadth of skills and diversity of expertise relevant to the broad range of issues to be considered in phase 2, and to best serve the increasing scale and complexity of the Inquiry”.
In an update to parliament she said it is on course to receive 400,000 documents and that 183,000 of 330,000 received so far have been reviewed by the inquiry team. It is still identifying sources of relevant documents, she said.
She said the inquiry has confirmed that a significant volume of documentation will be disclosed during the first phase of the inquiry which has 547 core participants, 519 of them individuals from the Grenfell community.
May said: “Given the extent of the tragedy, we should not be surprised by the scale and range of issues that are emerging from the inquiry’s early work. Phase 2 of the inquiry will be the largest phase in terms of the number of issues to be considered, and it is appropriate for me to reflect now on the two distinct phases of the inquiry’s work and to consider the most appropriate composition of the Inquiry panel for phase 2.”
Downing Street also indicated May would hang a painting of the burnt-out 24-storey tower on the wall of Downing Street after she was given it by a local artist on Thursday. It says: “Eyesore. Final Straw.”
“We need to consider how it fits within the house. Obviously there’s a great deal of artwork in No 10,” said a Downing Street spokesperson.