A former employee of the firm which made the flammable cladding for Grenfell Tower has reportedly described the 72 deaths as “a tragedy” after the final report into the fire criticised him for his “deliberate dishonesty”.
Claude Wehrle, who worked for Arconic, did not give evidence during the hearings despite being called to do so and was described in the report as “the most important by far of the absent witnesses” the inquiry had wanted to hear from in relation to the firm’s role.
Approached by the BBC, Mr Wehrle, who lives in France, is reported to have described the deaths in the fire as “a tragedy and more than a pity”.
“I feel the same way any other human being would, whether bearing no responsibility at all or not,” he told the broadcaster.
Arconic Architectural Products made and sold the Reynobond 55 cladding panels with a polyethylene (PE) core which were used in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower and were later found to have fuelled the blaze.
The phase one report in 2019 concluded the “principal reason” the flames shot up the building at such speed was the combustible cladding, which acted as a “source of fuel”.
The final report, published on Wednesday, stated that Arconic had “deliberately concealed from the market the true extent of the danger of using Reynobond 55 in cassette form, particularly on high-rise buildings”.
The inquiry hearings had been told that an email in March 2010 – seven years before the fire – from Mr Wehrle said it should be kept “VERY CONFIDENTIAL!!!!” that the firm’s Reynobond cladding in cassette form (in three-dimensional structures) did not meet European Class B fire standards.
The final report concluded that, in the absence of Mr Wehrle giving in-person evidence, it had been demonstrated that he was willing “to resort to deliberate dishonesty in order to support the sale of the product for use in cassette form”.
The report also said Mr Wehrle had withheld a test result from the British Board of Agrement (BBA) certification body, “because it showed that the fire performance of the product when used in cassette form was very significantly worse”.
Asked by the BBC why this had been withheld, he said: “There are people in that company who were better placed than me to make that kind of decision.”
Bereaved and survivors of the fire have renewed their calls for prosecutions in the wake of the damning final report being published.
Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick concluded that 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.
He called out “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.
Grenfell United, representing some bereaved and survivors, said his report “speaks to a lack of competence, understanding and a fundamental failure to perform the most basic of duties of care”.
But, while the Metropolitan Police have pledged to go through the report “line by line”, the force said bereaved and survivors could face an estimated 12 to 18-month wait to find out whether any criminal charges will be brought.
A former director of public prosecutions (DPP) has warned that justice against those responsible could be delayed even further due to backlogs in the system.
Lord Ken Macdonald told the Guardian newspaper that “unless processes are massively expedited, justice is a very long way away”.
He said: “The criminal justice system is still suffering terribly from austerity cuts, which did enormous damage.
“The upshot is that it now takes years for cases to come to trial after charge. Criminal cases arising out of Grenfell are likely to be many and complex.
“The Crown Prosecution Service is speaking of charging decisions in 2026. This is probably optimistic. But even if it is right, on current trial schedules, it could be two or three years later before trials can be heard.
“Some are potentially talking about 2028, 2029.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament this week that it is “imperative that there is full accountability” for the disaster, “including through the criminal justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible”.
He issued an apology “on behalf of the British state” for a fire and loss of life he said should never have happened.
Sir Martin confirmed a “simple truth” that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were “badly failed” by authorities “in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed”.
