The Metropolitan Police has submitted its final investigation files into the Grenfell Tower fire to the Crown Prosecution Service, marking a major step towards possible criminal charges more than nine years after the disaster.
The files concern 54 individuals and 20 companies and organisations and ask prosecutors to consider a range of offences, including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and misconduct in public office.
The development was announced by the Met on 30 September, with the force describing it as a “milestone moment” in its investigation into the fire, which killed 72 people at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, west London, on 14 June 2017.
According to the Metropolitan Police, its investigation has examined the roles of more than 15,000 people and 700 organisations connected to the tower. Investigators have taken 14,700 statements and gathered 165 million electronic files during the course of the inquiry.
The scale of the evidence being passed to prosecutors is also considerable. The Met said its summary reports alone run to more than four million words across 12,600 pages, while more than 27,000 exhibits remain in secure storage. These include pieces of cladding, insulation, doors, windows and other components of the building.
According to Reuters, the police investigation has been one of the most complex criminal investigations undertaken in Britain. The news agency reported that the evidence sent to prosecutors relates to 54 people and 20 companies and organisations, with investigators having examined the role of thousands of individuals and organisations.
The Crown Prosecution Service will now independently consider whether charges should be brought. The CPS has committed to making its charging decisions before the tenth anniversary of the fire on 14 June 2027.
The lengthy investigation has been closely watched by survivors and bereaved families, many of whom have spent years waiting for criminal accountability.
ITV News reported that the fire killed 72 people and that a public inquiry previously concluded the disaster was avoidable. The inquiry found serious failures surrounding the refurbishment and management of the tower and examined the actions of companies, public bodies and others involved with the building.
The Met said its investigation began with the recovery and identification of those who died. Officers and forensic specialists conducted detailed searches of the building, including examining approximately 15 tonnes of debris on each floor.
Grenfell Tower remained a crime scene for 14 months, while investigators also examined evidence from the public inquiry. The police said they studied the inquiry’s 1,700-page final report alongside their own evidence to ensure that all relevant material had been considered.
The Guardian reported that the investigation has placed a number of organisations and individuals under scrutiny, while survivors and campaigners have continued to demand accountability following the long wait for the criminal process to progress.
The political reaction has also highlighted the importance of the next stage. The UK Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said the submission represented a significant development but stressed the “agonising and unacceptable” wait experienced by bereaved families and survivors.
Committee chair Abena Oppong-Asare called on the Crown Prosecution Service to deliver accountability and justice and urged the government to avoid further delays.
The BBC reported that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the government department responsible for building safety had also been referred to prosecutors in connection with potential offences. The council said it had been informed that the CPS would independently review evidence concerning possible corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences.
The BBC also reported that Housing Secretary Angela Rayner confirmed that her department, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, had been under investigation since 2023 and that a file concerning a potential breach of health and safety legislation had been sent to the CPS.
However, the submission of the files does not mean that anyone has been charged. Prosecutors must first examine the evidence and decide whether there is sufficient evidence to bring charges and whether prosecution is in the public interest.
The Metropolitan Police has stressed that its investigation was intended to provide prosecutors with the strongest possible evidential case. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said the force recognised the impact the lengthy process had had on those waiting for answers, but argued that the scale and complexity of the investigation required painstaking work.
The 2017 fire remains one of the UK’s most devastating modern tragedies. The criminal investigation has now reached a point where responsibility for the next major decision lies with prosecutors.
For the families of the 72 people who died and the survivors of the fire, the focus will now turn to whether the evidence gathered over nine years results in charges — and whether the promised decisions can be delivered before the tragedy reaches its tenth anniversary.