Grenfell Tower fire: public inquiry to be led by retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick

Death toll from the blaze now believed to be around 80

Survivors and the families of those who died in the devastating blaze will be given state funding for legal representation at the probe (Twitter/British High Commission in Brunei)

Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick has been appointed to lead the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The death toll from the fire is now believed to be around 80, the vast majority of whom were from just 23 flats.

Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted residents will be given a say over the direction of the investigation and Sir Martin's appointment is expected to be officially announced on Thursday.

Survivors and the families of those who died in the devastating blaze will be given state funding for legal representation at the probe.

The Prime Minister said a full judge-led inquiry was needed to ensure the events at the 24-storey block were "properly investigated".

As a lawyer, Sir Martin specialised in commercial law before spending more than 20 years as a judge of the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal.

However, his appointment is likely to cause controversy after it emerged he had presided over an appeal court case in 2014 that ruled in favour of Westminster council, which had argued that a single mother with five children could be rehoused outside of London.

Titina Nzolameso’s lawyer said at the time that the decision "sets a terrible precedent for local authorities to engage in social cleansing of the poor on a mass scale”.

"It cannot be right that council tenants are threatened with homelessness unless they agree to uproot themselves from communities they have lived in for years," Jayesh Kunwardia, of Hodge Jones & Allen, said.

The ruling was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has said it will be months before the final roll call of victims is established.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said contact had been made with at least one occupant from 106 of the 129 flats in the building.

From those properties, 18 people are dead or assumed dead, meaning the remaining victims are thought to have been in the flats wiped out by the inferno.

She said: "There are 23 flats that, despite huge investigative efforts, we have been unable to trace anyone that lives there.

"At this stage we must presume that no-one in those flats survived, that includes anyone who lived there or was visiting them."

Pressed on whether the death toll could climb to triple figures, Ms McCormack said: "I've said I believe it could increase, I don't think it's going to be triple, no."

A six-month-old baby was among the latest victims to be identified, found dead in her mother's arms in the smoke-filled stairwell.

Westminster Coroner's Court opened and adjourned inquests into seven Grenfell Tower victims, including baby Leena Belkadi and her eight-year-old sister Malak.

As the vast criminal investigation into the fire continues, 60 organisations have been identified as having a hand in the tower's refurbishment, which is suspected to have helped the blaze spread.

Ms May confirmed on Wednesday that 120 tower blocks across 37 local authority areas had flammable cladding on their exterior.