The investigation, known as Operation Northleigh, has already cost around £150 million and involved reviewing millions of documents, interviewing thousands of witnesses, and examining evidence gathered from both the fire scene and the public inquiry that concluded in 2024.
Police say they expect to submit all evidence files to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by the end of September 2026. Final decisions on whether charges will be brought are expected by June 2027, marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster.
According to the Metropolitan Police, prosecutors are considering a wide range of possible offences, including:
• Corporate manslaughter
• Gross negligence manslaughter
• Fraud
• Serious health and safety breaches
• Misconduct in public office
Investigators say the number of individuals and companies under consideration is unlikely to change significantly before the final submissions are made.
While police have not indicated how likely prosecutions are, they say they have gathered substantial evidence over several years. Officers have reportedly reviewed around 165 million electronic files and taken more than 14,000 witness statements.
The Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017 became the deadliest residential fire in the UK since the Second World War. The blaze spread rapidly through the 24-storey building, with combustible cladding and other construction failures later identified as major contributing factors.
The public inquiry concluded that the disaster resulted from a combination of regulatory failures, poor oversight, unsafe building practices, and decisions that prioritised cost and commercial interests over safety.
Police say the scale of the investigation has made it extremely complex. More than 15,000 people across 700 organisations have been examined as part of the inquiry process.
To prepare for possible future court proceedings, investigators are reportedly constructing replica sections of Grenfell Tower to demonstrate how the fire spread. The original tower can no longer serve as a full evidential site because parts of the structure have already been dismantled.
For survivors and bereaved families, the latest update has been met with mixed emotions.
Campaign group Grenfell United described the announcement as an important milestone, while also expressing frustration over the length of time accountability has taken.
The group said the community continues to approach developments with “caution, grief and determination” after waiting nearly a decade for progress in the criminal investigation.
Another organisation representing bereaved families, Grenfell Next of Kin, criticised the prolonged timeline and said many families have lost confidence in the institutions responsible for delivering justice.
Some relatives of victims have argued that senior decision-makers, rather than lower-level staff, must ultimately be held responsible for the failures that led to the disaster.
Legal figures involved in representing victims have also questioned why the criminal investigation was effectively paused while the public inquiry took place.
Barrister Michael Mansfield KC argued that pursuing the inquiry before criminal proceedings significantly delayed the possibility of justice. Critics say the overlap between the inquiry and police work could have been handled differently to avoid adding years to the process.
The Metropolitan Police has defended its approach, stating that officers began investigating immediately after the fire but waited for the inquiry’s final findings so all available evidence could be incorporated into the case.
The Ministry of Justice says it is working with police, prosecutors, and courts to prepare for what could become one of the most complicated criminal trials in modern British legal history.
Police have already submitted 15 evidence files to prosecutors, with the remaining files expected later this year.
If the CPS authorises charges in 2027, court proceedings are unlikely to begin before 2029 due to the expected scale and complexity of the case.
For many families affected by the disaster, the coming year may determine whether accountability finally follows one of the most devastating public tragedies in recent British history.
Register your Interest for the Fire Safety Event 2027 | NEC Birmingham | 27-29 April 2027: The Fire Safety Event.
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