Grenfell Tower to finally be demolished eight years after fire claimed lives of 72 people

5 February 2025, 21:55 | Updated: 5 February 2025, 23:24

Grenfell Tower is set to be demolished the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed on Wednesday during a meeting with bereaved families.

Angela Rayner is thought to have shared the news with the families of those killed on Wednesday night.

The fire ripped through the west London residential tower at speed in June 2017, claiming the lives of 72 people.

The incident sparking a national scandal over building safety standards.

It follows several years of debate over the future of the 24-storey tower, which continues to cast a large shadow over the area and remains covered in scaffolding.

Rayner, who is also Housing Minister, made the announcement to families in private ahead of a formal announcement by the government which is expected to take place on Friday.

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A memorial is thought to have been commissioned in its place, with five architects shortlisted.

Some had hoped it would remain in place as a lasting reminder of the tragedy.

Kimia Zabihyan, representing the group Grenfell Next of Kin which speaks on behalf of some of the bereaved families caught up in the tragedy, said the tower would be deconstructed down to the ground level.

Local councillor and former MP, Emma Dent Coad said ahead of the decision: "Whatever happens, there'll be an awful lot of upset locally.

"I want it down because it, it's a horrible reminder and I see it every day I leave my house, it's twisting the knife that's in my heart already."

It's believed that no work will begin before the eighth anniversary of the fire on June 14.

However, some campaigners have claimed the move is "ignoring the voices of bereaved".

They said they had repeatedly urged housing secretaries over the years to "consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower".

In a statement on Wednesday night, they said: "Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower.

"She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation.

"But judging from the room alone - the vast majority of whom were bereaved - no one supported her decision. But she claims her decision is based on our views."

It comes as firefighters made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ tackling the blaze at Grenfell as a study reveals more than a hundred are now suffering long-term diseases, LBC has been told.

A major first-of-its-kind survey from the University of Central Lancashire has revealed one in four firefighters who responded to the fire in 2017 now suffer life-changing health conditions as scientists examine whether they are linked to exposure to toxic fumes from the inferno.

The disaster killed 72 people when a fire at the 23-story flat block was accelerated by highly flammable cladding.

More than 600 firefighters at the London Fire Brigade were involved in the first 20 hours of response, and 524 of them took part in this fresh research.