The new chairman of the Grenfell Tower inquiry has said he understands the desire for a “vigorous” investigation that “gets to the truth as quickly as possible”.

Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the purpose of his inquiry is to “discover the truth” about what happened at the west London tower block to “ensure that a tragedy of this kind never happens again”.

Theresa May said “no stone will be left unturned” by the public inquiry into the disaster as she confirmed Sir Martin’s appointment.

Grenfell TowerThe tower was almost destroyed in the fire (David Mirzoeff/PA)

The Prime Minister told MPs she expects Sir Martin will “want to produce an interim report as early as possible” to address the immediate lessons that need to be learned from the disaster.

Mrs May said: “I am determined that there will be justice for all the victims of this terrible tragedy and for their families who have suffered so terribly.”

Sir Martin, who specialised in commercial law in a legal career spanning nearly 50 years, will look into the blaze which killed at least 80 people in west London earlier this month.

His appointment was recommended by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and Mrs May said Sir Martin is “highly respected and hugely experienced”.

Theresa May (Dominic Lipinski/PA)Theresa May has confirmed the appointment of the head of the Grenfell Tower inquiry (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Sir Martin said: “The purpose of this independent inquiry is to discover the truth about what happened at Grenfell Tower, so that we can learn lessons for the future and ensure that a tragedy of this kind never happens again.

“It is vitally important that the inquiry be open, transparent and fair to all those whose involvement with Grenfell Tower comes under scrutiny.

“It is important for everyone that the inquiry should establish as quickly as possible the cause of the fire and how it was able to spread so quickly to the whole of the building.

“I understand the desire of local people for justice; justice for them, and for all those involved in whatever way, will best be served by a vigorous inquiry that gets to the truth as quickly as possible.”

At least 80 people were killed in the inferno (David Mirzoeff/PA)At least 80 people were killed in the inferno
(David Mirzoeff/PA)

In a written statement to Parliament, the Prime Minister said Sir Martin will consult survivors and victims’ families about the scope of his inquiry.

She said: “The immediate priority is to establish the facts of what happened at Grenfell Tower in order to take the necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

“But beyond that immediate focus it is also important that all the wider lessons from both this catastrophe, and the inspections of other buildings around the country that followed it, are identified and learnt.

“I will return to Parliament with the final terms of reference once this process has taken place. Then the inquiry will begin its work.

“We must get to the truth about what happened. No stone will be left unturned by this inquiry, but I have also been clear that we cannot wait for ages to learn the immediate lessons and so I expect the chair will want to produce an interim report as early as possible.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has called for the interim report to be published over the summer, announced plans for a new £300,000 fund to help businesses which have been hampered or left unable to trade as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire and recent terror attacks in the capital.

In the wake of the disaster, cladding at tower blocks across the country has undergone fire safety tests with 120 found to be combustible.

The National Housing Federation has called on the Government to stop the testing and instead focus on making people safe.

Chief executive David Orr said: “These tests were the right thing to do, but the results are now conclusive: Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding simply does not pass these tests and is deemed unsafe.

“Across the country, valuable resources – from specialist equipment to expert time – are being poured into a testing process of which the results are already known.”

Meanwhile, a funeral will take place for one of the victims of the inferno on Thursday in west London.

Fulham fan Tony Disson, 65, was described as a “real family man” and “one in a million Dad” by his relatives.