More than 100 firefighters injured in the Grenfell tragedy have received a £20m settlement in the High Court.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said 114 of its members brought claims against the companies that made the cladding and designed and built the refurbishment outside the building.
Other defendants were the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea the London Fire Commissioner.
Some of the firefighters were unable to work again after attending the Grenfell Tower blaze in June 2017, which killed 72 people.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: ‘The aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy is a stark reminder of the systemic failings of building safety and government accountability.
He added: ‘This was a crime of deregulation and negligence – a consequence of private profit being prioritised over public safety. Nearly seven years later, the fight for justice and change goes on.’
Vincent Reynolds from the personal injury team at Thompsons Solicitors, who represented the firefighters, said: ‘We hope this settlement brings closure of a sort for these firefighters, although we know that for many, the injuries will last a lifetime.’
The FBU said the High Court clarified that these settlements pertained only to civil court damages claims and did not impact the ongoing public inquiry or the potential for any criminal charges in the future.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: 'The welfare of staff in the control room and on the ground is of paramount importance to us and in the immediate aftermath of the fire, all those involved were contacted individually by a counsellor and offered support.
'We’re committed to doing all we can to make sure this tragedy is never repeated again and have been working hard to transform and improve our ways of working.'
