Rayner pledges ‘change and reform’ as she formally responds to Grenfell report

The Government has pledged “tough action” on the construction industry and stronger rights for residents as it formally accepted recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report.

A group representing some of the bereaved welcomed the commitments but warned it will be paying “close attention” to how they progress.

The Government said 49 of the 58 recommendations made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick when he published his long-awaited report in September were being accepted in full.

The report concluded the fatal 2017 fire in west London had been the “culmination of decades of failure” across government and the building industry.

Nine of the 37 recommendations directed at Government are being accepted “in principle”, with some requiring “further consideration” through consultations, it said.

This includes a key recommendation for a single regulator for the construction industry, which the report said had become “too complex and fragmented”.

On Wednesday, the Government said while it is committed to establishing a single regulator, it does not believe it would be “appropriate” for that organisation to undertake testing and certification of construction products, or issue certificates of compliance.

Arguing this would “create a new conflict of interest within the regulator”, the Government said it will instead work to strengthen oversight of existing bodies through reforms to the construction products regime.

It has launched a consultation, running until May, on regulatory reform in the sector to “improve public safety, rebuild public trust and ensure the Grenfell Tower tragedy cannot be repeated”.

The timeline for wider change is set out in phases, with a suggestion some reforms are unlikely to be delivered before 2028 – 11 years on from the fire which claimed the lives of 72 people.

In its update, the Government said it is “committed to delivering meaningful change as quickly as possible” but that “given the scale of further change needed, including legislative, we intend to deliver these further reforms using a three-phased approach over the course of this Parliament”.

Addressing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, said she was accepting recommendations for the appointment of a chief construction adviser as well as those to professionalise fire engineers and assessors through mandatory accreditation.

Seven organisations criticised in last year’s report are also being investigated for possible bans on public contracts, using powers under the Procurement Act 2023.

The Cabinet Office is launching investigations into companies including cladding firm Arconic and insulation firm Kingspan to establish whether professional misconduct has taken place and vowed decisions on debarment will be made “at pace”.

In a lengthy document detailing its wider response, the Government also said it is “committed to exploring further reforms to deliver systemic change to how residents’ voices are heard and reliably acted upon”.

The inquiry report noted how the relationship between Grenfell Tower landlords and residents in the years before the fire was “increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger”.

Ms Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, said: ”We are acting on all of the inquiry’s findings, and today set out our full response, detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system to ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again.

“That means greater accountability, stronger regulation, and putting residents at the heart of decision-making.

“We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country, and to the memory of those who lost their lives.”

Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some of the bereaved, said it will be “paying close attention to these words and intentions” from Government, as it repeated criticism of the “grave mistakes, failures, corruption” it said had led to the deaths.

The group: “We can never forget our beloved kin and we can never forgive the negligence and corruption that led to their deaths.

“The injustice is so great and the measures being put in place now with new laws and reforms are welcomed, but should have been basic requirements for a developed country such as ours.

“Nevertheless let’s move forward in the right direction.”

On the day the final report was published, Sir Keir Starmer apologised “on behalf of the British state to each and every one” of the people affected by the disaster.

Speaking in Parliament at the time as some bereaved watched from the Commons gallery, he said the “country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones, the people that we are here to serve”.

Earlier this month, the Government announced the tower, the remains of which have stood in place in west London since the fire almost eight years ago, will be “carefully” demolished in a process likely to take two years.

Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry into the fire, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.

Ms Rayner said “justice must be done” and that the Metropolitan Police has the Government’s “full support” in its investigation.