A retired Court of Appeal judge who was once accused of "social cleansing" has been appointed to lead the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who left the bench last December, was criticised in a 2014 case after allowing Westminster City Council to rehouse a single mother with five children 50 miles away in Milton Keynes – a decision that was later overturned by the Supreme Court.

After his ruling, Hodge Jones & Allen, the law firm representing the family, said the judgment would "give the green light for councils to engage in social cleansing of the poor on a mass scale".

Moore-Bick is widely respected within the legal profession, however, and was recommended to head up the inquiry by the Lord Chief Justice, according to The Telegraph.

Before being appointed to the High Court in 1995, he was a QC, specialising in commercial and shipping law, and also held a number of senior positions within the judiciary, including deputy head of civil justice and vice-president of the civil division of the Court of Appeal.

He continues to accept appointments as an arbitrator at 20 Essex Street.

The Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington, which broke out on 14 June, has claimed the lives of at least 80 people, although police have said the final death toll will not be known until the end of the year.

A number of firms and lawyers have offered free legal services to those affected by the disaster, while the UK government has confirmed that families will be granted legal aid for representation during the investigation.

The tragedy has led to a wide-ranging review of fire safety at tower blocks across the country, with alarming results. More than 120 high-rise buildings in England have so far failed the safety inspections.

Several US law firms are currently looking into shareholder claims against the New York-based manufacturer of the cladding used on Grenfell and various other tower blocks, which has been blamed for the fire's rapid spread across the building.

Arconic recently announced that it was ceasing sales of the Reynobond PE material worldwide. The company's share price has since fallen by 15%, wiping $1bn from its market cap, and earlier this week was the worst-performing stock in the S&P500 for two consecutive days.