Police Seek Charges Against 54 People and 20 Companies Over Grenfell
The Metropolitan Police has submitted its final investigation file on the Grenfell Tower fire to the Crown Prosecution Service, seeking charges against 54 individuals and 20 companies. The offences sought include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety breaches, fraud and misconduct in public office. Kensington and Chelsea council and the housing department have both been referred. Charging decisions are promised before the tenth anniversary on 14 June 2027.
Seventy-two people died in June 2017, and the investigation behind this file cost £150m and examined the conduct of some 15,000 people across 700 organisations — which the force describes, without much exaggeration, as one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any British law enforcement agency. The council has confirmed the three offences it has been referred for: corporate manslaughter, section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and acting contrary to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Its leader Elizabeth Campbell said the authority’s “commitment to candour, openness, and accountability has not changed”. The detail that sits least comfortably is central rather than local: Angela Rayner confirmed that the housing ministry, the department responsible for building safety, has itself been under investigation since 2023. Corporate manslaughter convictions against large organisations remain rare in England, which is why the number of defendants matters less than whether prosecutors are willing to charge an institution rather than only the individuals inside it. Watch which of the twenty companies, if any, is named first.