Grenfell Tower to host memorial service for fifth anniversary tomorrow

Five years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, a memorial service will be hosted tomorrow at the base of the tower, followed by a silent walk in the evening.

72 people, including 18 children, lost their lives on 14 June 2017, in one of the UK’s worst disasters in modern times.

The government has pledged £5.1bn to replace unsafe cladding in all buildings above 18m high in England, after launching an inquiry into the disaster.

The inquiry, which is currently in its second phase, found the flammable cladding to be the “principal reason” as to why the fire spread so rapidly.

Housebuilders, including Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Redrow, Barratt, this year signed the government’s fire safety pledge, which will see them fix unsafe cladding out of their own pocket.

Some 24 buildings identified at the beginning of the inquiry remain to have their cladding removed as of May 2022, with 159 having been fully remediated and a further 89 whose works are yet to finish.

Though there are thought to be almost 10,000 tower blocks that host unsafe cladding, according to London mayor Sadiq Khan.