It is difficult to overstate the string of colossal failures that contributed to the deaths of 72 people, when a fire engulfed Grenfell Tower on June 14, 2017. The final report from the inquiry concluded that the fire “was the culmination of decades of failure”, with the finger of blame pointed at former government ministers, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Fire Brigade.
But undoubtedly, the greatest responsibility lies with the construction industry. Those who manufactured cladding were, the report notes, engaged in “systemic dishonesty” and were “by far the largest contributor” to the disaster. And it is time for them to be held accountable for their actions.
Corporate manslaughter charges are an obvious place to start. Yet these confer only a fine, and are unlikely to feel like justice done. Families of the victims of this tragedy rightly expect criminal charges. Seeking such convictions is not about summary justice. Rather, it is about demonstrating that there are consequences for any business or person found guilty, through negligence, fraud or misconduct, of contributing to the deaths of innocent men, women and children. There ought to be consequences for that.
Tory race falls flat
The contest may not yet be taking the public imagination by storm. Indeed, the race to be chair of Parliament’s various select committees appears to be engaging Westminster far more than the Conservative leadership election. Yet what happens over the next few weeks could determine the future of British politics.
Dame Priti Patel has become the first candidate ejected from the race, after finishing bottom of the first ballot of MPs. Notably, Robert Jenrick came top ahead of Kemi Badenoch in the battle to be the candidate of the Right. In the centrist lane, it is very much a James Cleverly-versus-Tom Tugendhat battle.
All that matters at this point is winning over fellow Tory MPs and making it to the final two, who will be voted on by ordinary party members. And while that person will be the leader of a parliamentary party of just 121 MPs, the history of the Tories suggests that — save for a brief period in the early 2000s — their leader usually becomes prime minister.
Draper’s supersonic
For more than a decade, Sir Andy Murray made runs to the semi-final of grand slams look easy. It isn’t. Jack Draper — who had never previously progressed beyond the second round at a major tournament — beat 10th seed Alex De Minaur in his quarter-final in New York and will now face world number one Jannik Sinner for a place in the final.
Whatever happens on Friday, Draper has already triumphed this week as one of the lucky few to bag Oasis tickets at Wembley.
