Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast 50: Grenfell and Scotland
Mar 4, 2020
Rachael Claye and Peter Apps, writers for Private Eye, delve into the Grenfell Tower inquiry, exposing a tangled web of accountability failures that emerged from the fire tragedy. They dissect how 460 companies complicate responsibility, and the legal battles faced by the involved corporations. Francis Wheen, the magazine's Baroness Scotland correspondent, sheds light on the Commonwealth Secretary-General's controversial leadership, revealing scandals, misconduct allegations, and financial shenanigans that have left her role under scrutiny.
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Refurbishment Had A Carousel Of Buck Passing
- The refurbishment involved a complex chain of contractors allowing widespread blame-shifting.
- Rachael Claye and Peter Apps note around 20 core organisations plus many subcontractors, enabling a 'carousel of buck passing'.
Arconic Emails Showed Panels Were Misrepresented
- Arconic executives' emails suggested they knew panels sold to Grenfell tested far below the advertised safety class.
- Internal messages from 2011 indicated panels were class E/F while marketed as Class B, yet they targeted markets with weaker regulations like the UK.
Contractors Dismissed Stronger Fire Barriers
- Emails disclosed during the inquiry show designers and contractors dismissed stronger fire barriers as futile because ACM cladding would 'fail immediately'.
- That discussion undercuts later claims that contractors were unaware of serious risk to high-rise residents.