Grenfell Tower refurbishment main contractor Rydon was centre-stage this week, with two former members of staff explaining its role on the ill-fated upgrade that turned the 1970s block into a death trap.

The inquiry’s main witness was Simon Lawrence, Rydon’s contracts manager on the project from spring 2014 until he left the firm late the following year.

A recurring theme in Lawrence’s evidence was that Rydon had not needed in-house expertise on fire-safety and cladding because it had specialist subcontractors and designers to rely on – in the form of original architect Studio E and facade specialist Harley, among others.

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