Early evening summary
The Grenfell Tower disaster was the result of “decades of failure” by central government to stop the spread of combustible cladding combined with the “systematic dishonesty” of multimillion-dollar companies whose products spread the fire that killed 72 people, a seven-year public inquiry has found. As Robert Booth and Emine Sinmaz report, in a 1,700-page report that apportions blame for the 2017 tragedy widely, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chair of the inquiry, found that three firms – Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex – “engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to … mislead the market”. He also found the architects Studio E, the builders Rydon and Harley Facades and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s building control department all bore responsibility for the blaze.
Patel restates call for members to have greater say in running Tory party after being eliminated from leadership contest
Priti Patel has released a statement on X following her elimination from the Tory leadership contest. In it she renews her call for party members to have “ a greater role in the running our party”. She has not endorsed any of her rivals.
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) September 4, 2024
Not all Conservatives agree the members should have more power. William Hague was the leader who changed the party rules to ensure the leader is elected by members, not MPs, but now he believes that was not such a good idea. Writing in the Times this week, he said:
Some [leadership candidates] are promising more power for party members, but let me advise them — from the person who set off down that road long ago — this will not be the change for which the wider electorate is looking. Voters have a justified sense that the Tories were unable to govern well because of their internal politics, which inhibited decision-making on matters from Brexit policy to prisons. More internal politics will not be the answer.
