Grenfell judge: Inquiry into tower fire will discover the truth

A retired judge has been appointed as the chairman of the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who has more than 20 years’ experience as a judge, has said he hopes the inquiry will allow lessons to be learned so "a tragedy of this kind never happens again".

The former Court of Appeal judge added that he understands the desire of local people for justice – and said this would best be served by a "vigorous inquiry that gets to the truth as quickly as possible".

Following his appointment by the Prime Minister, Sir Martin warned it was crucial for the inquiry to be "open, transparent and fair to all those whose involvement comes under scrutiny".

:: Profile – Sir Martin Moore-Bick

He warned it is "impossible to say" how long it will take for interim findings to be published, and warned calls for a preliminary report to be ready in two to three months were unrealistic.

However, Sir Martin did say he would be "disappointed" if his initial assessment was not released within a year.

He explained: "I would hope to be able to answer the basic factual questions such as how did the fire start, how did it spread, how was it able to engulf the building in such speed and also questions such as what internal precautions there were, what steps were available for alerting residents and allowing them to escape."

At least 80 people were killed in the devastating blaze at a west London tower block earlier this month.

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According to the latest figures, the cladding on 137 high-rise buildings have now failed flammability tests across 41 local authorities – a 100% failure rate.

Sir Martin is going to work with complete independence from the Government, and he will be supported by civil servants seconded from government departments.

"It is important for everyone that the inquiry should establish as quickly as possible the cause of the fire and how it was able to spread so quickly to the whole of the building," he added.

The inquiry is going to be held in public, with findings reported directly to Theresa May.

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Mrs May has described Sir Martin as "highly respected and hugely experienced", and she told MPs that she wants the judge to produce an interim report with urgency.

In her written statement, the PM added: "We must get to the truth about what happened. No stone will be left unturned by this inquiry, but I have also been clear that we cannot wait for ages to learn the immediate lessons."

Her remarks were echoed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who called for an interim report to be published over the summer.

Mr Khan said: "Sir Martin Moore-Bick must ensure that the residents and local community are properly consulted on the terms of reference of the inquiry, that they can participate throughout with their legal costs fully covered."

(c) Sky News 2017: Grenfell judge: Inquiry into tower fire will discover the truth