The Grenfell Tower Inquiry reveals fundamental weaknesses of governance

In 2017, one of us wrote in this journal that “it is impossible to achieve a comprehensive understanding of events such as Grenfell Tower without confronting the political determinants of health and challenging the forces that shape them.” 1 Seven years later, the final report of the official inquiry into this tragedy, which killed 72 people, shows the extent to which this argument holds true.2When disasters occur, the media and politicians commonly focus on the immediate causes rather than the political decisions that create the conditions that allow them to happen. When refugees drown in the Mediterranean or English Channel, the focus is on people traffickers, who bear much of the responsibility. Yet they ignore the actions of the high income countries, which contribute to both climatic changes and resource related conflicts that can force people to flee from home.3 The 2017 editorial referred to the loss of life in…
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