Latest news with #GrenfellFire
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ulster Rugby: Kingspan Stadium in Belfast will have a new name soon
The home of Ulster Rugby in Belfast will no longer be called the Kingspan 11-year deal with the Irish firm ran out at the end of June and a new sponsor has been Rugby say they will reveal the new name of the stadium "over the coming weeks".Ulster's commercial relationship with Cavan-based Kingspan was criticised by the government. They previously called for Ulster Rugby to reconsider its association with the firm over its link to the Grenfell Tower was announced last year that the long-running commercial relationship would end in June Rugby confirmed on Tuesday on its website that it had "started a removal process of the Kingspan branding within and around the stadium, having now concluded the sponsorship".It added: "In conjunction with our new partner, we will be making an announcement over the coming weeks."There is extensive Kingspan branding at the stadium, previously known as Tuesday evening, the name was still above the turnstiles and at the side of the main stand. Road signs showing directions to 'Kingspan Stadium' were also in place. Grenfell fire Seventy-two people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in west London in an inquiry, Kingspan's business practices were the company said its products made up only 5% of the insulation at Grenfell and were used without its has been a sponsor of Ulster for more than 20 years. The naming rights deal dates back to 2014. The firm has also had its name on the team a disappointing 2024-2025 season, Ulster are preparing for next season with their first league match at the newly-named stadium due to take place on 26 September against the Welsh side Dragons RFC.
The Independent
15-06-2025
- The Independent
Bereaved father: Grenfell documentary must mark turning point in justice fight
A new documentary into the Grenfell fire setting out the failings which led to the fatal blaze must mark a 'turning point' in the fight for justice, a grieving father featured in it has said. Marcio Gomes, whose son Logan was stillborn after the 2017 disaster, said he hoped audiences might be prompted to 'start shouting' about a disaster which 'should matter to every single person'. Grenfell: Uncovered, on Netflix from June 20, follows the final report of the inquiry into the fire which concluded each of the 72 deaths was avoidable and had been preceded by 'decades of failure' by government and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. Bereaved and survivors were 'badly failed' through incompetence, dishonesty and greed and the west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said last year. Sir Martin called out 'deliberate and sustained' manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market. Mr Gomes, who said he lives with the devastating consequences of the fire every day, said the documentary sets out the failures of various organisations in the years leading up to the fire. In an interview with the PA news agency ahead of the documentary's release, he said: 'Ultimately, I'm hoping that people understand that this was no accident. This was very much avoidable, and these companies had a huge role to play in what happened. 'And I think people, especially in Britain – but this is a global thing, it's not just in the UK – need to start shouting about these companies, need to hold them to account. 'Because these companies have a duty of care but they've ignored it completely. 'And I'm hoping that this documentary is a turning point that will then bring prosecutions and justice to the families.' A number of companies are referred to in the documentary. The inquiry report saw cladding firm Arconic and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex come in for particularly heavy criticism. Arconic was found to have 'deliberately concealed from the market the true extent of the danger' of using its cladding product, particularly on high-rise buildings. Kingspan had, from 2005 and even after the inquiry began, 'knowingly created a false market in insulation' for use on buildings over 18 metres, the report said. Celotex then, in an attempt to break into this market created by Kingspan, 'embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market', Sir Martin concluded. The Cabinet Office confirmed in February that seven companies were facing possible bans – Arconic, Kingspan, former Celotex owners Saint-Gobain, fire inspectors Exova, design and build contractor Rydon, architect Studio E and subcontractor Harley Facades. Investigations were launched by the Government in March, assessing whether any engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of the Procurement Act 2023, potentially leading them to be debarred from public contracts. Mr Gomes said he hoped the 100-minute documentary would see people back the bereaved and survivors' fight for justice, as it sets out how firms were 'prioritising profits ahead of people's lives'. He said: 'Eight years on, we've had no prosecutions. And justice can't continue to wait, in my opinion, and if you live in Britain, as we do, this should matter to every single person. 'Knowing that these companies that greatly contributed to something that was avoidable, as the inquiry said, are still making record profits and still working globally is appalling, in my view. 'So seeing this and then comparing to how my life is, and comparing to how many people's lives have been destroyed, in many ways, is horrific.' Mr Gomes said he hoped viewers might be moved to take some kind of action, from writing to their MPs to spreading the word on social media. He said: 'I think if they can do whatever's in their power, and if that's writing a letter to the MPs about getting justice or removing the cladding (on other buildings), then that's what I'd love to see. 'It's whatever people can do – avoid their products, get the message out there. These companies need to feel some pain and that's not even close to what we've gone through.' Bereaved and survivors gathered at the weekend to mark the eighth anniversary of the fire, which took place on June 14 2017. Demolition work on the tower could begin in September, with the decision to remove the building met with criticism from some of the bereaved and survivors, who felt their views had not been considered. Responding to the inquiry report last year, Arconic said it was its subsidiary, Arconic Architectural Products SAS (AAP), which had supplied the material used for cladding in the tower's refurbishment, and that it rejects 'any claim that AAP sold an unsafe product' and that it 'did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public'. Kingspan said it had 'long acknowledged the wholly unacceptable historical failings that occurred in part of our UK insulation business' but said these were 'in no way reflective of how we conduct ourselves as a group, then or now', while Celotex said it had 'reviewed and improved process controls, quality management and the approach to marketing within the Celotex business to meet industry best practice'.
Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Times
Trooping the Colour 2025: royals pay tribute to Air India victims
It was the instinct of a monarch who is a deeply emotional man. It was also the action of a sovereign who spent decades watching his mother lead by example. The King changed the age-old script for Trooping the Colour to remember the victims of Thursday's Air India crash during his official birthday celebrations. Echoing Queen Elizabeth's decision to alter proceedings in 2017 for the 72 victims of the Grenfell fire, Charles requested a minute's silence to be observed at Horse Guards Parade and black armbands to be worn. Buckingham Palace said the King had personally requested the change, which was highly unusual, 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy'. For the second year running, Charles, 76, who is still receiving weekly cancer treatment, travelled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than riding a horse to and from Buckingham Palace. Before leaving the palace, Charles was seen feeding carrots to the Windsor greys pulling their carriage. On his left arm, against the brilliant crimson tunic of his Coldstream Guards tunic, he wore a black crêpe armband. Escorting their carriage up the Mall, all in black armbands, were the Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry and the royal colonels: the Prince of Wales, colonel of the Welsh Guards; the Princess Royal, colonel of the Blues and Royals and Gold Stick-in-Waiting; and the Duke of Edinburgh, colonel of the Scots Guards. All three rode horses gifted to the royal family by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Prince William rode Darby, Prince Edward rode Sir John and Anne was back on Noble, a feisty mare nicknamed 'naughty Noble' after proving a handful for Anne last year and for the King, who rode her in 2023. It was the first time that Anne, 74, has ridden in public since being admitted to intensive care in June last year with concussion and head injuries believed to have been caused by one of her own horses. Perhaps finally weary of stealing the show, Noble behaved impeccably. Both William and Anne's uniforms bore cyphers of the King and gold aiguillettes, indicating they are personal aides-de-camp to the monarch. William's Welsh Guards uniform also bore the cypher of Queen Elizabeth, whom he served as aide-de-camp. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. To cheering crowds lining the Mall, the Princess of Wales, who is in remission from cancer, accompanied her children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — in an open-topped Ascot Landau carriage from the palace to Horse Guards. Last year, it had rained on their parade and they were partly shielded from view in their Glass Coach carriage. But this year, under brilliant blues skies and sunshine, the Waleses were a picture-perfect happy family unit. Kate wore a striking aquamarine dress coat by Catherine Walker, a hat by Juliette Botterill, and her Irish Guards regimental brooch and ear-rings that belonged to Queen Elizabeth. Matching her mother's colour scheme, Charlotte opted for a mint-green dress. And just as her father's outfit paid tribute to his grandmother, so Charlotte kept the memory of her great-grandmother close, with a diamond horseshoe brooch pinned to her dress — a gift from Queen Elizabeth that Charlotte wore to her great-grandmother's funeral in 2022. A gap-toothed Louis, always full of high-jinks at Trooping the Colour, beamed at his big brother throughout the procession, waved vigorously to the crowds and twinned his brother's outfit, both in smart navy suits and red ties. Joining the royal contingent were the Duchess of Edinburgh, in a green Beulah dress and Jane Taylor hat, who travelled in a carriage with Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. After seeing her children into the Major General's office above Horse Guards — from where they watched the parade under the supervision of their longstanding Norland nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo — Kate returned to the parade ground. She stood alongside the King's side on the dais, in her role as colonel of the Irish Guards. Last year's parade had marked her first public appearance since announcing last March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. Then, she had watched the parade from the Major General's office, but retaking her place on the dais, as she did in 2023, will be an encouraging sign that Kate's recovery continues in the right direction. More than 1,300 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians gathered on the parade ground, where the colour of No 7 Company Coldstream Guards was trooped. To the tunes of Bonnie Tyneside and The King's Guard, performed by the Massed Bands, the King inspected the troops from his carriage before taking his place on the dais. Then, at 11.10am as seated spectators were asked to stand, a lone trumpeter signalled the minute's silence with the Last Post. At 11.11am, the trumpet sounded the Reveille, and celebrations resumed. • The India plane crash victims from Britain — what we know so far While the Princess of Wales stood alongside the King on the dais, a high-spirited Louis remained perched above them on a window sill of the Major General's office, providing a lively running commentary to his kin watching with him. By his side at the window, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, who is close to the Waleses, appeared to enjoy 'the Louis show'. Back at Buckingham Palace, the King, who shows little sign of reduced stamina despite his illness, stood again on a dais at the Centre Gate taking the salute of the troops returning to their barracks after an impeccable parade. At 1pm, cheers went up again from the Mall as the palace balcony windows opened and the royal contingent, joined by the frail but determined Duke of Kent, 89, emerged on to the balcony for the RAF flypast. Last year, Kate was by the King's side. This year, her youngest son snuck into that spot, prompting smiles and laughter from the King as Louis, rubbing his eyes in the bright sunlight, chatted constantly to his 'Grandpa Wales' as 29 aircraft flew overhead. George, who had his first flying lesson last September at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire, appeared captivated while Charlotte was laser-focused on following protocol during the national anthem. Louis, less of a stickler for protocol, turned back for another natter with his grandfather during God Save the King and, in a final flourish, gave yet another royal wave to the crowds while being ushered inside by his mother. For the first time, in a special nod to the King's enduring environmental campaigning, the RAF's Aerobatic Team used a 40 per cent blend of sustainable aviation fuel [SAF] and normal jet fuel for the propulsion of the Red Arrows, and a renewable biofuel made of hydrotreated vegetable oil for their red, white and blue smoke trails. It is thought to be the first time anywhere in the world that two environmentally friendly fuels have been used at the same time by a national aerobatic team. A palace aide said of the King: 'He has been encouraging wider use of SAF on royal flights where possible and practical. His Majesty hopes to be an 'early adopter' whose example will help encourage wider availability and use across the aviation sector.' Before the flypast, Squadron Leader Andy King of the Red Arrows said: 'Hopefully the King will be looking up with a smile on his face.' A palace aide said Charles, who beamed throughout, was 'delighted'. Mission fulfilled.
The Guardian
14-06-2025
- The Guardian
‘A slap in the face': Grenfell officials still working in housing eight years after fire
The survivors of the Grenfell fire have condemned 'a deep and bitter injustice' that many of the officials criticised in the public inquiry in connection to the tragedy have continued working in related fields. 'We relive the pain every day. They are carrying on with life, careers intact, while we are still here – grieving, waiting and fighting for justice,' said a spokesperson for Grenfell United shortly before the eighth anniversary of the fire. 'The fact that some of the people involved are still working in housing is a slap in the face to every survivor and bereaved family. If there are no consequences for decisions that cost lives, what does that say about this country's values? Justice delayed is justice denied – and we will not stop until those responsible are held to account.' Dozens of the individuals implicated in the Grenfell disaster, from civil servants, government ministers, councillors and corporate executives have gone on to have successful careers, many of them still involved in housing and local government. Laura Johnson, who was director of housing at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the fire, is now an interim director of property and development at Barnet Homes, which manages and maintains 13,000 council homes. The inquiry found she had slowed down the installation of self-closing mechanisms on fire doors for 'financial and practical reasons', despite being urged to do so by the London fire brigade. It was found that inadequate fire doors, particularly those lacking self-closing mechanisms, allowed smoke and fire to spread more quickly than expected on the night of the fire. She also pushed for a new contractor to carry out renovation works on the block on a lower budget, which ultimately meant metal cladding was swapped for combustible plastic-filled panels to save money. Johnson has continued working in the housing sector since the fire, including as a consultant at two housing associations and a council. Her LinkedIn profile states that in her current role she has 'overarching responsibility' for delivering health and safety compliance 'including fire and building safety'. Johnson has not responded to a request for comment. Brian Martin, a civil servant who admitted to being a 'single point of failure' on the run-up to the fire, has since gone on to act as a fire safety expert witness and testified in the first UK cladding tribunal case in 2023. He allegedly said: 'show me the bodies' – an accusation he has denied – when he was advised to tighten fire safety rules to prevent a tower block disaster, and was in charge of official building regulations for almost 18 years prior to the fire, which killed 72 people. The inquiry found that in January 2016, 18 months before the Grenfell blaze, he had written that when ACM cladding was exposed to fire, 'the aluminium melts away and exposes the polyethylene core. Whoosh.' He was then urged to tighten the rules on ACM panels in the UK but failed to do so. He continued working within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government with a role in the planning directorate until at least 2022, although he no longer works in the department. He gave evidence as a 'fire safety expert' at a cladding tribunal in 2023 in which he was praised for 'being balanced, knowledgable and thoughtful'. The Grenfell inquiry found he had no formal fire safety or engineering qualifications at the time of the fire. The Guardian has attempted to contact Martin for comment. Deborah French was a sales manager at Arconic – the multibillion-dollar US company that made the combustible cladding panels on Grenfell Tower – and has admitted she knew the cladding she was selling could burn but did not tell customers. Before the fire, in 2015, she began working at the building materials supplier Taylor Maxwell, where she became their national cladding director, a role she held until 2023. During the public inquiry she said she knew the polyethylene product could burn but she didn't 'specifically explain' this to her customers, although if she had been asked the question, she would have. She also said she had not seen the building regulations guidance on fire safety. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Taylor Maxwell said French's work during the course of her employment with them did not relate in any way to Grenfell Tower. The Guardian has attempted to contact French for comment. Nicholas Paget-Brown, who was the leader of RBKC at the time of the blaze and initially resisted calls to resign in the face of mounting criticism of his authority's response, now runs a consultancy firm on public policy issues. He resigned weeks after the fire, after accusations of badly organised relief efforts and little support for residents who were left homeless. The inquiry report found he was 'unduly concerned for RBKC's reputation', with the council's response described as 'muddled, slow, indecisive and piecemeal'. According to Paget-Brown's LinkedIn profile, he is a managing director of Pelham Consulting, which tracks manifesto commitments and offers briefings on public policy issues. He did not respond to a request for comment. A Metropolitan police investigation into the Grenfell fire continues. Survivors and bereaved families have criticised the pace of the inquiry. Stuart Cundy, a deputy assistant commissioner at the Met, said: 'The Grenfell Tower fire is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency. We are investigating a range of very serious criminal offences including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and fraud, as well as health and safety offences. 'We cannot begin to imagine the impact that waiting for the outcome of our investigation must have on those who lost loved ones, those who survived, and all those affected by the tragedy.' He added that investigators had spent over a year forensically examining the tower, taking more than 13,000 witness statements and gathering more than 153m documents and files, with 195 dedicated investigators on the case. Barnet Homes have been approached for comment.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
King Charles Makes Somber Last-Minute Changes to Trooping the Colour Parade amid Air India Tragedy
King Charles, 76, will wear a black armband on his military uniform in honor of the 241 victims of the Air India plane crash at the Trooping the Colour Parade on Saturday, June 14 Prince William and the Royal Mews staff will also wear black bands Following the inspection of the troops on Horse Guards Parade, there will be a moment of silence preceded by the sounding of the Last Post King Charles has made somber changes to the Trooping the Colour Parade to be held on Saturday, June 14, in honor of the victims of the deadly Air India plane crash. King Charles, 76, will wear a black armband on his military uniform, as will his son Prince William. Royal Mews staff who wear livery for the procession will also wear black armbands, along with mounted officers taking part in the procession. When the King takes his place on the dais after the inspection of the troops on Horse Guards Parade, there will be a moment of silence preceded by the sounding of the Last Post. The changes are being made as 'a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy,' a Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE. This is not the first time that a royal procession has made changes to honor victims of a tragedy in the U.K. In 2017, three days after the Grenfell Fire disaster in London, a minute of silence was incorporated into the Birthday Parade ceremonies. The somber changes to the procession will pay tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed in the tragic Air India Plane Crash on Thursday, June 12. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had just departed Ahmedabad for London's Gatwick airport when it crashed. Only one survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, has been identified. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Ramesh sustained 'impact injuries' to his chest, eyes and feet, according to The Hindustan Times, 'Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,' he told the Times from his hospital bed. 'It all happened so quickly." "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran," Ramesh said. "There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital." Trooping the Colour is a celebration of the King's birthday. The ceremony will take place in London on Saturday, June 14. Read the original article on People
