Grenfell fire officer who ended 'stay put' instructions promoted to London Fire Brigade's top job

Andy Roe - the fire officer who made the decision to revoke the "stay put" advice at Grenfell Tower - has been appointed as the new London Fire Brigade commissioner.

It comes after City Hall announced Dany Cotton would be stepping down at the end of this month in the wake of criticism over the brigade's response to the Grenfell fire which killed 72 people.

Mr Roe, who will take up the post on Jan 1 2020, made the decision to revoke the controversial advice which shut residents inside their flats during the inferno minutes after becoming incident commander on the night of the fire.

The former British Army officer has worked at London Fire Brigade (LFB) since 2002, progressing through the ranks as a firefighter.

He became assistant commissioner in January 2017 - the position he held on the night of the deadly fire - before being appointed as deputy commissioner for operations last month.

The first report from the Grenfell Inquiry found that the fire service's preparation for a tower block fire such as Grenfell was "gravely inadequate" and its lack of an evacuation plan was a "major omission".

Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said more lives could have been saved in the June 2017 fire had the policy of "stay put" been abandoned sooner.

Mr Roe said he would be "working tirelessly" to deliver the recommendations of the report.

"It is an enormous privilege to be offered this opportunity to lead London Fire Brigade into a new decade," he said.

"My priority is to protect and serve all Londoners and make sure the capital's fire and rescue service is the very best it can be.

"We have some real challenges ahead, but I'll be working tirelessly with the brigade, the mayor and London's communities to ensure we deliver on the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.

"I'm looking forward to leading the brigade through a period of transformation and delivering a workforce that truly reflects the diverse city we serve."

The new fire chief, who had operation command for the Croydon tram crash in 2016, is to lead the production of the next London Safety Plan.

Mr Khan said there were "significant lessons" for the brigade following the critical public inquiry report.

The London mayor said: "The Grenfell Tower Inquiry report made it clear there were institutional failures that meant, while firefighters performed with great courage and bravery, the overall response to the disaster was not good enough, and there are significant lessons for London Fire Brigade.

"I look forward to working with Andy Roe to deliver on the inquiry's recommendations and to ensure the transformation of the brigade is carried out as effectively and swiftly as possible."

Ms Cotton, the capital's first female fire chief, had been due to retire in April 2020 after 32 years of service.

The LFB said that following consultation with City Hall, it had been agreed that Ms Cotton, 50, would bring forward her retirement to the end of this year "to enable a timely handover" to the next commissioner.

She had previously resisted multiple calls for her to resign and welcomed the report's recommendations, saying they would be "carefully and fully" considered by senior officers.

Commenting on her early retirement, Ms Cotton said she was "proud" and "honoured" to have served London and to have stood "shoulder to shoulder" with fire service staff during her career.