Studio E Architects’ project lead for the Grenfell Tower refurbishment said claims made about the insulation product used for the block’s tragic refurbishment were as misleading as those in 2013’s horsemeat scandal.

Neil Crawford, who is not a part III-qualified architect, took over day-to-day responsibility for co-ordinating his practice’s work on the high-rise block in 2014. He told Monday’s hearing of the inquiry into the fatal 2017 fire that the literature he had read on Celotex RS5000 led him to believe it was suitable for use on high-rise buildings.

Studio E did not specify the product’s use as part of the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding used for the tower’s refurbishment. It had been substituted for a different Celotex product – FR5000 – originally proposed by consultant Max Fordham. In fact, neither product was compliant with Building Regulations.

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