Given that Benita Mehra had run an organisation (the Women's Engineering Society) that had received a £71,000 grant from the Arconic Foundation - the philanthropic arm of the very manufacturer who created the cladding that played such a pivotal role in the Grenfell fire[5] - her appointment and willingness to take up the position sparked controversy with many in the Grenfell community[6] while Mehta insisted on there being no conflict of interest.

Unite the Union assistant general secretary for legal services Howard Beckett, said "“Benita Mehra has a clear conflict of interest and she should play no role in the inquiry".

The Prime Minister said: "I can confirm that Benita Mehra wrote to me yesterday to offer her resignation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry panel and I have accepted.

"[8] In her letter she had hoped to draw on her experience and knowledge of the construction industry, of community engagement and of governance within housing management contribute to the vital work of the Inquiry in discovering how and why the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower happened.

[12] She has campaigned for women to be more readily welcomed back into the engineering workforce after time taken out for maternity leave, and encouraging small-to-medium enterprises to explore job-sharing for mid career workers.