The inquiry panel has not commented on the responses to the first phase of its report.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged on Wednesday that many of the survivors and allies campaigning for change had no faith in the national or local government to move to ensure that the disaster will not be repeated.

“This is understandable,” he said in a lengthy address in Parliament. “They have been let down many times before.”

He promised to introduce legislation enacting Mr. Moore-Bick’s recommendations, and said that additional money had been allocated for removing flammable cladding from buildings around the country.

He also praised the inquiry, adding: “Phase One sets out what happened. Phase Two will explain why.”

To many activists, that order is backward. The group Justice 4 Grenfell said the fire occurred “within a historical background of cuts to public services, deregulation” and other factors that should have been the first focus of the inquiry.

“Instead, the inquiry began with ‘Act II, Scene 1’ asking details about the fire on that fateful night,” the group said in a statement, leading inevitably to what it said was blaming the firefighters.

“The real meat is expected in Phase Two of the investigation,” said Melvyn Akins, who grew up near the tower and has been among those demonstrating for change. “Yes, there’s a question mark about whether more lives could be saved, but the real question is, would any lives have been lost if the building companies and managers didn’t do what they did?”