Grenfell Tower: Police say there are reasonable grounds for corporate manslaughter charges

There are grounds for corporate manslaughter charges over the Grenfell Tower fire that killed at least 80 people, police have said.

The Scotland Yard investigation into the Grenfell Tower disaster has said there are “reasonable grounds" for corporate manslaughter charges. The statement adds: "After an initial assessment of that information, the officer leading the investigation has today notified the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenancy Management Organisation that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that each organisation may have committed the offence of corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007." It adds: "In due course, a senior representative of each corporation will be formally interviewed by police in relation to the potential offence.” In this case, it's likely that their senior executives of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenancy Management Organisation will be questioned under caution in relation to the fire. In a statement to the media Scotland Yard said: “The Met started an investigation into the cause and spread of the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June. Since then we have stated that it is a criminal investigation, considering the full range of offences from corporate manslaughter to regulatory breaches. This is a complex and far-reaching investigation that by its very nature will take a considerable time to complete. The Met has made a commitment to the families who lost loved ones in the fire and survivors that they will be kept updated, as far as we possibly can, as the investigation continues. As is routine, we will not give a running commentary on this investigation.“ The tower block caught fire on 14 June and killed at least 80 people.