Retired judge hired to lead Grenfell Tower fire inquiry was once accused of helping ‘social cleansing of the poor’
THE RETIRED judge appointed to lead the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster was once accused of "social cleansing of the poor".
The choice of Sir Martin Moore-Bick to head the investigation into the fire, which killed at least 80 people, may prove controversial when he is officially unveiled later today.
The former Court of Appeal judge ruled in 2014 to relocate a female housing tenant in central London facing homelessness 50 miles from her home.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who has insisted residents will be given a say over the direction of the investigation, is facing calls to make sure those displaced by the disaster are housed nearby.
Those affected will also be given state funding for legal representation at the probe.
Sir Martin, 70, was called to the bar in 1969 and specialised in commercial law during a career that spanned almost five decades.
And while legal sources told he was an “excellent choice” for the inquiry, one past case may cause angst amongst the families looking for justice following the tragedy.
In the appeal court three years ago Sir Martin ruled in favour of Westminster City Council in its dispute with tenant Titina Nzolameso.
The single mother of five was facing homelessness but was only being offered new accommodation in Milton Keynes, 50 miles away.
Her lawyers condemned the ruling as setting a “terrible precedent for local authorities to engage in social cleansing of the poor on a mass scale”, and the Supreme Court later overturned his ruling.
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Sir Martin, who retired last December, was recommended to Number 10 by Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the lord chief justice, last week.
The newspaper says the delay in unveiling him is understood to have been partly due to concerns over his suitability.
Meanwhile, detectives investigating the Grenfell Tower fire are wading through debris a METRE high in search of human remains, it has also emerged.
But they fear the damage caused by the inferno may be so great that some will never be identified.
Yesterday, lead investigator DCS Fiona McCormack said she believed at least 80 died in the blaze - and dismissed claims the true death toll has been covered up.
She said: "I understand the huge concern, speculation and rumour around the number of people who lost their lives in the fire.
"I must stress that we do not have the final picture and that work will take time.
"We are still many months from a number that accurately represents the loss of life at Grenfell Tower.
"The search and recovery operation will take until at least the end of the year and it will then be several months before we have a final figure."
DCS McCormack said police have spoken to at least one person from 106 of Grenfell Tower's 129 flats.
But they have been unable to trace anyone from the remaining 23 flats - suggesting everyone who lived in them is dead.
She said cops are working on everything from government files to fast food delivery records to establish who was in the Kensington block when the fire broke out on June 14.
Tragically, some residents fled upstairs to escape the fire - leading them to certain doom.
Cops have also searched the building's rubbish chute in the belief that some may have tried to escape that way.
Sources close to the investigation said the debris in some rooms is up a metre high - and investigators have only scratched the surface.
Some flats near the top have yet to be searched because of safety fears.
