Grenfell Tower: Rethink deal with insulation firm, Mercedes F1 urged

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire and government minister Michael Gove have criticised Formula 1 team Mercedes for signing a deal with a firm linked to the tower.

The F1 team signed a deal with Kingspan, which made some of the insulation used in the cladding.

Grenfell survivors called the sponsorship "truly shocking", while Mr Gove said he was "deeply disappointed".

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff apologised for the "additional hurt" the deal caused.

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is currently examining how the building was covered in flammable materials, which contributed to the spread of flames that took hold of the tower in June 2017, killing 72 people.

Mr Wolff, who agreed to meet with Grenfell survivors and bereaved families, said Kingspan had reassured the team that it had played no role in the design or construction of the cladding on the tower.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team - which Britain's Lewis Hamilton drives for - announced it had signed a partnership deal with Kingspan on Wednesday.

Kingspan's K15 insulation was one of the products installed on Grenfell Tower during its refurbishment. The company said it made up only 5% of the insulation in the block, and was used without its knowledge.

The majority of the insulation used was made by another company.

Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved families from the fire, said in an open letter to the F1 team that the announcement of the new partnership was "truly shocking".

"This news has shattered us," it said, adding it wanted Mercedes to "immediately sever your relationship" from the company.

In a letter to Mr Wolff, Communities Secretary Michael Gove called on Mercedes to reconsider the commercial partnership, which he said "threatens to undermine all the good work the company and sport has done".

He said that while advertising in sporting arenas and on vehicles in England was currently outside his department's remit, the system would be kept under constant review to ensure it was fit for purpose.

There are "very real questions" about whether parliament would support advertising rules which "enabled a core participant in a public inquiry into how 72 people lost their lives to advertise its products publicly to millions of families across the country," he wrote.

Lisa Nandy, Mr Gove's Labour shadow, welcomed his "swift criticism" of the sponsorship deal, which she described as "deeply disrespectful" to Grenfell survivors.

However, she has also written to Mr Gove asking him "to take the same principled stance in relation to the decision by the Conservative Party to take millions of pounds in donations from property developers responsible for flats that have been covered in the same dangerous ACM cladding since 2017".

She called for the money to be returned to "send a clear and unequivocal message of support of the Grenfell community".

The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.

Kingspan said: "The Grenfell Tower fire was a tragedy that should never have happened, and Kingspan supports the vitally important work of the inquiry to determine what went wrong and why.

"Kingspan played no role in the design of the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, where its K15 product constituted approximately 5% of the insulation and was used as a substitute product without Kingspan's knowledge in a system that was not compliant with the buildings regulations.

"The new partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team reflects the ambitious sustainability targets of both organisations."

A spokesman for the Mercedes team said: "Our partner Kingspan has supported, and continues to support, the vitally important work of the inquiry to determine what went wrong and why in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

"Our new partnership announced this week is centred on sustainability and will support us in achieving our targets in this area."

Kingspan is an Irish company employing up to 15,000 workers in 70 countries, including 450 workers in Northern Ireland.

The company also has a high profile presence at sports grounds, including the homes of Ulster Rugby and Cavan GAA.

Additional reporting by Becky Morton