Police to seek criminal charges against 77 companies and people over Grenfell fire

Key points

• Scotland Yard has said it hopes to bring criminal charges against 77 companies and individuals for the Grenfell Tower fire, but trials will not start until a decade after the disaster that killed 72 people.
• The Guardian understands a king’s counsel, a senior lawyer experienced in prosecutions, has been appointed to lead the crown’s criminal cases, which are expected to be complex and possibly last years.
• The lead police investigator, Garry Moncrieff, said his team of 220 detectives and other staff had gathered “strong evidence” of potential wrongdoing that led to a devastating blaze tearing through the west London tower block in June 2017. Police said they were sending a series of files of evidence to prosecutors later this year seeking a decision on whether criminal trials should be held.
• The Crown Prosecution Service said it expected to make decisions on charges by June 2027, the 10th anniversary of the...