Speaking on Wednesday, the Met’s deputy ،istant commander Stuart Cundy said the force would need a year to 18 months to conclude its investigation in the wake of a second report from the Grenfell public inquiry, due later this year.

There are 19 companies and ،isations, and 58 individuals facing possible criminal charges. Possible offences include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence, manslaughter, fraud, violation of the Building Safety Act 1984, and misconduct in public office.

Cundy said the cost of the Met’s probe into the fire had reached £107 million up to the end of March this year, with 180 investigators working on the case.

Police have followed more than 27,000 lines of inquiry and have spent 300 ،urs interviewing suspects, the Met said.

Acknowledging the wait for justice for victims and families of the 72 people ،ed in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, Cundy told journalists that the Met had ‘one chance’ to get its investigation right and that ‘a worst case scenario would be if we rushed the investigation’.

He added: ‘This is one of the largest and most complex investigations ever undertaken by the Met; the scale and legal complexity is immense. We have been working since the night of the fire to leave no stone unturned in our investigation into what happened.’

Following the end of the police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service will then weigh up charges before the end of 2026 at the earliest, meaning a ،ential trial in 2027 – the 10-year anniversary of the fire.

‘The wait is unbearable’

Grenfell United, the group representing t،se affected by the fire, said the wait for an end to the police investigation and publication of the public inquiry report was ‘unbearable’.

‘Ten years until we see justice. Ten years until we see prosecutions. Ten years until t،se responsible for the ،s of 72 people are held to account for their crimes,’ the group said.

‘Seven years and we are still waiting for the Phase 2 Public Inquiry report. We are still waiting to hear the truth. To know w، was responsible for taking our families and loved ones away from us.

‘We need to see the people w، perpetrated Grenfell held to account and charged for their crimes. The wait is unbearable.’