The commemorations close for today
That completes the commemorations for today. The inquiry will resume at 9.30am tomorrow.
There is a long round of applause for Wafa, who has just delivered the same commemoration twice, once in English, once in Arabic. #FathiaElsanosi #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
The inquiry hears that Fathia felt safe in London. “This feels like an illusion. Our trust in this country has been destroyed,” Wafa reads, on behalf of Hayat, Fathia’s sister.
Updated
Wafa is now going to read this again, in Arabic.
Fathia came to the UK in the 1990s. She lived first in south London and then moved to Kensington and Chelsea, where she was offered housing at Grenfell.
Hayat, her sister, missed her and the pair were reunited in Syria in 1998. “I was overjoyed to see her. She had arrived first and paid for two rooms. When we saw each other could not be separated,” Wafa says, speaking on behalf of Hayat.
Fathia got a british passport and could then travel back and forth to Sudan. She built house for her sister and stayed there when she visited. “Fathia was kind to build this for me. I had been living with our brother and Fathia knew need own space to get my independence,” Wafa reads.
The inquiry hears that Fathia was a fantastic cook and well-known for her Sudanese cooking, she was welcoming and people would flock to her home. People missed her and when she came back to Sudan to visit, people were excited to see her again, Wafa says.
“She was creative at sewing and it was a source of income for her... She could stitch material to make beautiful saris. She would also create things from leather and decorate plain shoes and handbags with leather items she had made,” Wafa says.
The commemoration for Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi, from flat 206, has begun. Wafa, a friend and close relation to Fathia said:
Fathia was not just someone from the community but my older sister. She was my godmother and a very, very close friend of mine ... She was the pillar of the Sudanese community in London. She was highly respected... a source of wiseness and jollyness to the community. People would go to her house all the time.
She is now reading first in English and then in Arabic on behalf of Hayat, Fathia’s sister.
Here @grenfellinquiry for the final pen portrait of today, for Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi. It will be read first in English and then in Arabic, on behalf of Hayat, Fathia's sister. #FathiaElsanosi #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
The inquiry should be resuming again shortly.
Updated
The inquiry has now adjourned for lunch and will come back at 2pm.
Finally, of his sister, 22-year-old Husna Begum, Mohammed Hakim said:
“She was the epitome of adventure and spirit. She marvelled at the universe and had a burning desire to travel and learn as much about the world as possible.
“She valued her friends and family and would never forget anniversaries and birthdays. She had a great sense of humour too.”
He said he still remembered bringing Husna home from the hospital as a baby, and “the joy of finally having a little sister”.
As a result of this fire, Hakim said, he not only lost five members of his immediate family but was orphaned too. He added:
I can say with my hand on my heart that I’m extremely proud of my family for staying close to each other in their last moments. That my siblings did not leave my parents behind even though they may have had the chance to escape.
My parents had mobility issues. My father had strokes, he should not have been on the 17th floor, we complained about this numerous times.
My beautiful family, you’ll never be forgotten.
** Mohammed Hakim has just read commemorations for 5 members of his family. He says that the fire has made him an orphan, but that he could not be prouder of his family. The Chair commends his tribute, says he admires Mohammed's courage. A very long round of applause.
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
Hakim said his brother Mohammed Hamid, 27, “was a bit of a joker, and would crack funny one-liners only he could come up with. He would make us laugh for hours on end.”
He added: “His fun-loving personality always shone through even when he wasn’t feeling his best… he loved living, he wanted to do so much not just for himself but for everyone around him.
“He was very mature for his age and wise, how quickly he was taken away. The world has lost a magnificent soul.”
His other brother, Mohammed Hanif, 26, “was an extremely passionate person when it came to faith and God, as well as helping those in need,” he said.
“His bright warming smile. His gentle and kind approach was so unique and made everyone around him feel comfortable and at ease... He touched many hearts.”
Mohammed Hakim said his mother, 65-year-old Rabia Begum, was “the most beautiful and caring mother anyone could ask for”.
“She would kiss everything better. She scared away the monsters from under our bed with a giggle, we always felt safe with her,” he said.
Even as an adult she was the person he and his siblings went to when they felt worried, Hakim said. “Sometimes it was easy to take her for granted because she was always there. Her laughter and smile which echoed around the flat, her beaming smile…
“She was the most important person in my life and in my heart and soul. I will never forget all the things she did for me, a piece of my heart will always be missing.”
Mohammed Hakim lost his mother, father and three siblings in the fire. He paid tribute to them one by one.
Of his 82-year-old father, Komru Miah, he said:
“Nothing mattered more in my father’s life than his family and his religion... he never deprived us of anything as kids, we would get the best of everything.”
Hakim spoke of how his father loved watching nature programmes and action movies.
“He was a big fan of the James Bond movies, his favourites were Sean Connery and Roger Moore,” he said. “He was a caring, honest, loyal and kind man… wherever he went he made everyone his friend and was adored and loved by people due to his gentle nature. He was a bubbly person, full of life, loud, fun and energetic.
“My father was someone with a heart of gold who would help anyone in need, whether he knew them or not.
“I have some amazing memories with him that I will cherish for the rest of my life… Not a second of the day goes by that I don’t miss him.”
Mohammed tells us about his father's career as a chef, working in restaurants, after leaving Bangladesh. He was born in 1986, followed by his brother Mohammed Hamid, and then his youngest brother Mohammed Hanif, then his youngest sister, Husna Begum. #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
Amna Mahmud Idris died in Grenfell Tower during a visit to see her family.
The 27-year-old was related to Amal Ahmedin. At the fourth day of the inquiry, her husband, Ibrahim, read a statement, saying: “She was all my life... now I have lost the support. She would support me at all times.... She came to live with me in the UK in March 2016. After one year I lost her forever.”
Updated
The large group of the Tuccu-Ahmedin family on the stage clearly demonstrates the multiplier effect of grief in a tragedy like Grenfell.
For every victim, there are dozens, scores of grieving people left behind.
These commemorations gave a very special insight into a family, particularly the detail of life in 1970s Eritrea (it was still part of Ethiopia in those days), where Mohamednur Tuccu grew up as the eldest son in a large clan of brothers and sisters.
We were intrigued as to why Mohamednur left Eritrea for the UK. It turns out he is yet another of the Grenfell victims who left their homeland for security, not economic, reasons. There are at least a dozen of these. The arc of their lives seem similar: highly qualified in their home countries, they are forced to settle for blue collar jobs in the UK. They give of their talents in different ways though - through charity work, volunteering, and ploughing much of their efforts into their families, their children.
But perhaps the most devastating note from his brother Ibrahim came at the end: the closest of rough-and-tumble brothers, they had not seen each other since 1989.
Updated
Emma Dent Coad, the Labour MP for Kensington, has accused Kensington and Chelsea council of publishing misleading figures about the survivors of the fire who need rehousing.
The council claims 210 people were left homeless by the fire, but Dent Coad claims that more than 400 people need rehousing.
In a blogpost for the Fabian Society she writes: “I regularly visit displaced people in their hotels and I can tell you that the figures given out by the council and government do not tell the whole story. They only count those from the Tower and the adjacent Grenfell Walk – not those from the walkways, many of whom were moved out a year ago as their homes were not deemed safe, did not have heating or hot water, or because tenants were too traumatised to return.
“So when you hear the official numbers, you can double it, at least.”
Dent Coad adds: “We are looking after 250 Grenfell affected people, many of whom are waiting for suitable offers of housing, and none of those whose cases I know in detail are holding out for luxury apartments. They just want a home appropriate to their needs. And the council, which states they bought 300 properties, seems unable to provide them.”
She also urged the government to intervene:
Some MPs have suggested that Kensington and Chelsea council is given a deadline by which to house everyone, and if they fail, the government should send in commissioners to take over the rehousing process. But the government has already set deadlines. In June last year, it was three weeks. It then stretched to three months. Christmas was then proposed. Then in January the then Secretary of State for DHCLG admitted that some may not be housed before the year anniversary.
Just how much worse must it get before the government admits that the ‘jewel in the crown’ of local authorities, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council, has utterly failed its statutory duties?
For pity’s sake – send in commissioners now.
Updated
In a video recording, Mohamednur Tuccu’s brother Ibrahim, paid tribute to the brother he grew up with in Eritrea but who he hadn’t seen in years.
“Although we all lived in different countries, Mohamednur and his family were a huge part of my whole family’s life. We are still not able to come to terms with the loss we have experience,” Ibrahim Tuccu said.
He spoke about Mohamednur’s personality as a child and a teenager. “He was a very funny boy. My siblings and I always wanted him to stay with us,” he said, adding that his brother was into drama, theatre, poetry and making his own jokes. He added:
He was supporting everyone, he would never say no to helping anyone. I used to admire him so much. I always wanted to play with him and never wanted to miss any of his jokes… I learned some characteristics from him, for example I wouldn’t say no if someone asked me to do something or needed help… I used to follow him everywhere. I used to feel comfortable around him.
I had never been to the UK before he died. I have been spending time with his friends and wishing he was there too. I wanted to see London with him.
We hear that #MohamednurTuccu was very funny, 'one of the good characters', used to make film screens from curtains and candles, would play at being a football commentator and would make prize cups out of plastic containers. #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
'He was well known in the mosque, and would be active in serving food for people who could not break their fast at home.' #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
We hear a lovely story about how Mohamednur staged 'a drama' in the street so he could 'rescue' a girl he liked. 'Then he was able to take her for a tea.' #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
We hear how, at the age of 17, he became involved with freedom fighters, and politically active, he had to flee Eritrea, moved to Sudan for less than a year, and then Nigeria. He did not return to Eritrea for 10 years. #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
We hear how he moved to the UK in about 1991, he wanted to continue his education and started studying as soon as he arrived, he was also volunteering and sending money home. #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
A second sister of Amal Ahmedin’s, Feruza Afewerki, also paid tribute. “She lived life like it was her last day and was always the life of the party,” Afewerki said.
“She loved to see those around her thriving and happy and because of this she was loved by so many.”
Of Amaya, she said there was a “whole life of potential” now unrealised.
“She was the sweetest and kindest little girl. Amaya was Amal’s pride and joy.
“We miss them all so much and we have so much to learn from the lives they lived and the legacy they left with us.”
'Amal had the most beautiful smile...she was so strong. She never complained and was loved by so many. She was funny and cheeky and wholehearted.' #AmalAhmedin #AmayaTuccAhmedin #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
'Her infectious joy would light up the room...She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend...she lived to see those around her thriving and happy.' #AmalAhmedin #AmayaTuccAhmedin #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
'She was always learning a new language she spoke over 5 languages, because she loved making new friends.' #AmalAhmedin #AmayaTuccAhmedin #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
'Amaya was Amal's pride and joy..She'd always have fun like her mum...She was so precious..I miss our guitar jams, and how she'd like to sing frozen at the top of her lungs.' #AmalAhmedin #AmayaTuccAhmedin #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
Amal Ahmedin’s sister, Winter, said she was “the most caring and loving person you could ever meet”. She added:
Her capacity to love was unmatchable. She didn’t care who you were, where you were from, your religion or whatever walk of life you came from. She would give the shirt off her back to help you…. She never judged anybody or placed ridiculous expectations on you.
We grew up sharing a room and whenever I had nightmares as a kid she would hold me so tight and squeeze out the nightmares.
She taught me how precious life was and the importance of the kind of people you surround yourself with. She was supposed to be here, alive… She loved her friends and family so much, especially her daughter who was the love of her life. Amal was an incredible mother, motherhood brought out a layer of her personality that we were all in awe of.
Of her niece Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, Winter said:
I saw her take her first breaths, I named her Amaya... She was an angel and the sweetest little girl. She loved her parents, they were such loving parents to her.
Mohamednur was such an amazing person. He would treat me like I was his little sister.
We celebrated Amaya’s third birthday in February last year. You could see her personality forming more and more… I would hold her tight just like Amal did to me.
That’s what they were like when they were burning alive, squeezing each other tight trying to take the nightmare away.
Until the rest of my life I will not be able to accept that they’re gone… I will continue planning Amaya’s life, what she will be doing tomorrow, her 10th birthday, her 18th, her 21st and the rest of her life. We all miss them so much.
'When we found out that Amal was pregnant with Amaya..We burst into tears realising the incredible gift we were about to receive. I saw her take her first breath, and I named her #Amaya.' #AmalAhmedin #AmayaTuccAhmedin #MohamednurTuccu #GrenfellInquiry
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Updated
Tributes are curently being paid to family of three - Mohamednur Tuccu, Amal Ahmedin, and three-year-old Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, as well as to Amal’s sister Amna Mahmud Idris who is thought to have been visiting the night of the fire.
Updated
Victoria King and Alexandra Atala remain the least well known of the victims, even after that short commemoration by the family lawyer. Fascinating that none of their family knew, until quite recently, where they were and what they were doing.
Even in this day of digital omniscience, there are huge numbers of people who live their lives in quiet obscurity. Still, when a dearth of information remains even in their memorial, the silence is affecting and arresting in its own right.
A representative has read out a tribute from Victoria King’s older sister, Penny. She said:
After losing touch with my younger sister Vicky I spent many years trying to find her through friends in the UK. Eventually, thanks to the Salvation army family tracing I was able to get in touch with her and my niece Alexandra living in Grenfell Tower.
If this had not been the case no family member would have known they had perished… the time we had back being in touch means a great deal. I wish it had been for much longer. They were and are still together, and that is what is important. The fire was a tragedy for all of us.
Updated
The inquiry stream is now live:
Staff at the inquiry have announced that mother and daughter Victoria King and Alexandra Atala will also be commemorated today after a change of heart from the family.
Mother and daughter Victoria King, 71, and Alexandra Atala, 40, lived in flat 172 on 20th floor and were two of the last victims to be identified in November 2017.
On the opening day it was announced that no tributes would be paid to six of the victims King and Atalal.
But Bernard Richmond QC, who has been leading proceedings on the tributes told reporters that one benefit of the past few days is that family members who didn’t feel ready to participate are now going to do so.
Here at Day 4 of the #GrenfellInquiry. Bernard Richmond QC says that one benefit of the past few days is that family members who didn't feel ready to participate are now going to do so. https://t.co/TTOt72hCWL
— Seraphima (@seraphimaAM) May 24, 2018
Little more is known about their lives and the family could not be contacted for more information when The Guardian was building a picture of the lives of the survivors. The family issued the following statement in November:
Some comfort can come from the knowledge that she and Alexandra were devoted to one another and spent so many mutually-supportive years together.They died at each other’s side and now they can rest together in peace. We will remember them always.
Today’s commemoration may shed greater light on the lives of the British mother and daughter.
Updated
Our report yesterday that the £400m Theresa May announced to replace combustible cladding on scores if council and social housing blocks will come from the budget for building new affordable homes, is starting to sink in.
The housing minister Dominic Raab said that the money would be replaced in the 2021/22 affordable homes programme but admitted it means fewer new cheap homes in the the short run.
Shelter, the housing charity, have emailed me to say they are not impressed.
“It’s not acceptable to set up a choice between the right to a home and the right to be safe,” said Polly Neate, the chief executive. “People must have both, and we desperately need both more social housing and safe buildings.”
The idea had been to run until Tuesday to give people chance to have some time during half term, but the sessions now look likely to run into Wednesday.
We are being told that there will be nothing extraordinarily distressing in today’s presentations.
“Please feel free to show your emotions, be it crying or clapping,” said Bernie Richmond QC, the second counsel to the inquiry who is presiding over the hearings here at the Millennium Gloucester hotel in south Kensington.
Proceedings start at 10.30 because some of the presentations are being moved around.
According to the Press Association, mother and daughter Victoria King and Alexandra Atala will also be commemorated today.
Updated
The stream of the inquiry is due to go live any time now.
The stream will go live shortly: https://t.co/pSDVTXZkMR
— Grenfell Inquiry (@grenfellinquiry) May 24, 2018
Council leader says 'whole, unvarnished truth' must be told
Last night, Elizabeth Campbell was voted in as leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, following the local elections earlier this month when the Conservatives held the council comfortably.
She has been on the council since 2006 and was previously a board member of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenants Management Organisation.
She made a speech which directly addressed Grenfell. Here are some extracts.
I would like to quote from a speech made recently by the Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng.
“The suspicion today is that as the royal borough has got wealthier and wealthier, the political class, the people running the borough have really forgotten some of the less advantaged members of their community, while there is massive compassion, I don’t think there’s enough empathy as to how important this issue actually is and how seriously people of different faiths and certainly different communities take this issue.
‘There is a danger that people reciting stats, reciting facts simply lose sight of that human element.”
He is right. Kim and I have been at the inquiry every day this week. We should hold close the personal stories that are being told. Anyone who has been there, anyone who watched or heard those who speak of the loss of those they loved, will have felt their grief and their desolation.
So this is a sombre meeting. In the past, mayor-making meeting has been a joyful occasion. But not tonight. This is not the time for a party, it is not the time for pomp and pageantry, it’s a time for facing up to the challenges before us.
She continued:
It is our responsibility to ensure that the whole, unvarnished truth is told. We will not shy away from that, nor from the implications and the consequences of telling the truth. We have handed over hundreds of thousands of documents to the police and to the inquiry.
We will give them both everything they ask for and everything they need in order to find out what happened.
Updated
Inquiry staff are once again handing out a “trigger sheet” on the content of video tributes for Grenfell tower victims due to be played today, after some 20 survivors walked out and one woman collapsed in distress after viewing footage of tower on fire.
Inquiry proceedings were halted for half an hour during Tuesday’s session after the footage was played of the tower on fire and people trapped behind the windows.
It is the same as that of yesterday. According to schedule, none of the commemorations today are expected to include triggering images.
Learning from its mistakes. The #GrenfellInquiry has now published a “trigger sheet” which informs attendees of any potentially upsetting content in the commemorations.
— Matthew Thompson (@mattuthompson) May 23, 2018
Follows awful scenes yday when several people needed medical attention after footage of the fire was played. pic.twitter.com/iZFMDGsyM3
Today’s list of commemorations revolve principally around two families, one Eritrean, the other Bangladeshi.
We know that Bangladeshi Komru Miah came to the UK in the 1970s as an economic migrant, started a second family here and lived on the 17th floor with his wife and three adult children.
Less is known about the backstory of Eritreans Mohamednur Tuccu and his wife Amal Ahmedin, daughter Amaya and sister in law Amna Mahmud Idris. They’d certainly been in the UK at least 10 years. I’m not completely clear on who lived in Grenfell and who was just visiting on the night of June 14.
Finally we have one of the most compelling individuals of all - Fathia Alsanousi, a Sudanese exile, mother, teacher, dressmaker, upcycler, a pillar of the Sudanese community in London. Of all the Grenfell life stories I heard during our project to find out more about the victims, hers was the most inspiring.
In an interview with Jon Snow on Channel 4 News yesterday, the man who predicted the Grenfell Tower fire criticised the Kensington and Chelsea authorities. “What we were saying wasn’t just wild propaganda. It was evidenced, this is what’s happening to our community,” he said.
He went on to condemn the government for the failure to rehouse the survivors within the promised time frame: “The state has still not met that obligation.”
"Theresa May said that within three months we'd be rehoused. The fact is, there are still many families - many with children - who are still living in hotels." The man who predicted the Grenfell Tower fire says: "The state has still not met that obligation." pic.twitter.com/pWKbkjVGOU
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 23, 2018
As the inquiry enters its fourth day, around 72 households remain in hotels, 11 months on from the tragedy.
Expert: 10 key lessons from Grenfell
A veteran housing academic and former government adviser has drawn up 10 key lessons from the Grenfell Tower fire including annual “MOT” style safety tests on high rise blocks, giving tenants a say in upkeep, and forcing leaseholders to provide access keys to their flats.
Since the fire Professor Anne Power has led an 11-month project on how to avoid a similar tragedy. She says the Grenfell Tower fire was a consequence of government and landlords neglecting the UK’s existing social housing stock in favour of new homes.
Outlining the findings of the project in a blogpost published today, Power said the fire exposed “a constant downgrading to low cost renting”.
She called for investment in such blocks adding: “Diverting resources from new build for sale to existing homes for low cost would reduce homelessness, cut housing benefit costs, stabilise vulnerable communities, improve conditions, and crucially reduce the risk of fire or other disasters. Investing in existing social housing would give an important signal to society that it matters; it would encourage tenants to invest in their homes.”
Power was a member of Tony Blair’s social exclusion unit and his urban task force and was awarded an MBE by Margaret Thatcher’s government for work on the Priority Estates Project in Brixton. She is also highly critical of what she called the “fake” Tenant Management Organisation that ran Grenfell Tower on behalf of Kensington and Chelsea council.
She predicted: “The multiple failures of the this organisation will slowly unfold in the public inquiry.”
Power’s 10 key lessons from the fire also include the controversial idea of obliging leaseholders to provide landlords access keys to their flats in case of leaks, fire, or breaches in containing walls.
Here are 10 lessons in full:
Lesson 1: There should be a single point of control for any multi-storey block so that everyone knows, whether it is staff, residents or emergency services, where to go and who is responsible whenever an emergency arises.
Lesson 2: A full record of work that has been done must be kept, including the costs, the rationale, the specifications and implementation, with a continuous sequence of recorded information from start to finish, handed over on completion to the responsible owner/manager.
Lesson 3: There should be the equivalent of an MOT test for all multi-storey, high-rise and tower blocks as they have complex and linked internal systems, involving the interaction of many different technical features including plumbing, electrical wiring, heating, lift maintenance, roofs, windows, walls, fire doors, fire inhabitors, and means of escape.
Lesson 4: The containment of fire within each individual flat (commonly known as compartmentation) is absolutely crucial. A breach in the party or external walls of flats, often caused by installing television wiring, gas piping, electric wiring, plumbing or other works, creates a conduit for fire.
Lesson 5: In-depth fire inspections should happen every year in every block, using qualified inspectors, checking walls, doors, equipment, cupboards, shelves, etc. to ensure there are no breaches of fire safety or containment.
Lesson 6: Knowing who lives in all the flats within a block, including leasehold properties, private lettings, and subletting with the right to enter, inspect and enforce where there is a potential hazard affecting the block, is essential to exercising control over conditions and safety. Leasehold agreements should specify the obligation to provide access keys in case of leaks, fire, or breaches of containment.
Lesson 7: On-site management and supervision maintains basic conditions and is essential for security. The landlord can then enforce a basic standard, both in the stairwells and within units. The proximity of neighbours makes enforcement of tenancy conditions vital.
Lesson 8: The maintenance of multi-storey blocks is an engineering challenge where precision and quality control are essential. Judith Hackitt’s Interim Review of Building Regulations recommends higher standards, stronger enforcement, and far greater professionalism in designing, delivering, and running complex multi-storey buildings.
Lesson 9: There should be no shortcutting on cost and quality as short term savings can lead of long-term costs, as Grenfell Tower shows.
Lesson 10: Tenants are entitled to have a voice in the safety, maintenance, and general condition of their blocks. They often know more than staff about who lives in blocks and about earlier works as they have often been around longer than housing staff. They know what changes have been made. They are valuable conduits for vital information, and can thus help their landlords and their community.
Updated
Today's programme
Here’s a programme for today’s hearing.
Commemorations will be paid to Mohamednur Tuccu, Amal Ahmedin, Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, Amna Mahmud Idris, Kamru Miah, Rabeya Begum, Mohammed Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Husna Begum and Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi.
The programme for today's commemorative hearing. A link to the live stream will be posted prior to commencing at 10am. pic.twitter.com/xNmnM8OUdP
— Grenfell Inquiry (@grenfellinquiry) May 24, 2018
Updated
A £400m fund announced by Theresa May to pay for replacing combustible cladding on up to 158 social housing high-rise buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire, means fewer affordable homes will be built in the coming years, it has emerged.
The government has admitted that the funds for the renovations are being taken from the Affordable Homes Programme.
Neither May nor the secretary of state for housing, James Brokenshire, mentioned that the money was coming from that budget when they announced the bailout last week, triggering widespread relief in the housing sector.
Across England more than 300 towers rising above 18 metres and clad in similar materials to those used on Grenfell have failed laboratory fire tests and about half are in the social housing sector. Social landlords had lobbied the government hard for the money, saying they could not otherwise afford the replacement work.
The details of the funding for the scheme emerged in a written answer from the housing minister, Dominic Raab, following questioning from the shadow housing secretary, John Healey.
Proceedings start at 10am. It’s worth noting that the Guardian’s portraits of all 72 people who died in the fire are being updated each day of the commemorations as more details emerge about them.
Updated
Morning summary
Welcome to our live coverage of the fourth day of the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.
Tributes from family and friends continue to be paid today to the 72 people who died in the fire last June.
The commemorations, which are estimated to last nine days in total, have been both moving and harrowing. So far we have heard 25 tributes, and a further six families said they did not want to be involved. That leaves 41 victims to be commemorated.
Yesterday Theresa May said the government was “minded” to ban flammable cladding on high-rise buildings in the wake of the tragedy. It came after controversy over the government commissioned review’s decision not to recommend a ban.
Meanwhile, the manufacture of the combustible insulation on Grenfell Tower announced it is urgently investigating whether samples used for safety tests had added fire retardant in them. BBC’s Panorama alleged that Celotex used a different formula of the product, with more fire retardant in it than that which was used on Grenfell when they ran tests on it to generate a safety certificate.
Updated
