Tough new reforms to ensure all homes are safe, secure and built to the highest standards will benefit millions of people across the country as the government takes decisive action to tackle the failures that led to the devastating Grenfell Tower tragedy – which resulted in the loss of lives of 72 innocent people.
In the full response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report, the government has accepted the findings and sets out its plans to act on all 58 recommendations, driving a sweeping transformation to enhance building and fire safety standards.
Under the proposals, industry will be held to account for failure, with new regulatory measures to prevent a tragedy like the events at Grenfell Tower from ever happening again.
Seven organisations face debarment from government contracts. The seven are: Arconic Architectural Products SAS; Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, which previously owned Celotex Limited; Exova (UK) Limited; Harley Facades Limited; Kingspan Insulation Limited; Rydon Maintenance Limited and Studio E Architects Limited.
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: ”The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. The final report exposed in stark and devastating detail the shocking industry behaviour and wider failures that led to the fire, and the deep injustices endured by the bereaved, survivors, and residents.
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.”
The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report exposed a system that ignored safety risks and failed to listen to residents. The report laid bare ‘systemic dishonesty’ in the industry, failures in the construction sector and by successive governments, and poor regulation in the run up to the disaster.
The government has apologised on behalf of the British state for its part in these failings and introduced significant changes to fix the worst issues exposed by the tragedy.
Reforms set out include:
- A new single construction regulator to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account.
- Tougher oversight of those responsible for testing and certifying, manufacturing and using construction products with serious consequences for those who break the rules.
- A legal duty of candour through a new Hillsborough Law, compelling public authorities to disclose the truth, ensuring transparency in major incidents, and holding those responsible for failures to account.
- Stronger, clearer, and enforceable legal rights for residents, making landlords responsible for acting on safety concerns.
- Empowering social housing residents to challenge landlords and demand safe, high-quality housing, by expanding the Four Million Homes training programme. Make it easier for tenants to report safety concerns and secure landlord action by taking forward the Make Things Right campaign.
- Ensuring lasting transparency and accountability by creating a publicly accessible record of all public inquiry recommendations.
As well as changes in regulation, in December 2024, the government launched its Remediation Acceleration Plan which sets out tough new measures to get buildings fixed quicker and ensure rogue freeholders are held to account.
Building Safety Minister Alex Norris said: ”The Grenfell Tower fire was a preventable tragedy, and the failings it exposed demanded fundamental change.
“Our response today to the Inquiry’s findings sets out a comprehensive plan to reform the construction sector, strengthen oversight and make sure that residents are the priority when deciding on building safety issues.
“We will continue working closely with industry, local authorities and the Grenfell community to make sure these reforms deliver real, lasting change and rebuild trust.”
The government set out the next steps of its review to identify where the Inquiry’s report found failings by specific named organisations in relation to the Grenfell fire.
New powers under the Procurement Act will be used to investigate seven of the organisations criticised in the report. If certain grounds are met, their names will be added to a published debarment list which must be taken into account by contracting authorities when awarding new contracts.
In a written statement, the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, Georgia Gould, said the firms would be investigated under debarment powers in the Procurement Act 2023, which came into effect on Monday. “These investigations will establish whether the organisations have engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of that act,” she said.
“The new act allows us to investigate suppliers and, if certain grounds are met, to add their names to a published and centrally managed debarment list, which must be taken into account by contracting authorities in awarding new contracts and undertaking new procurements.”
The government remains fully committed to supporting the bereaved families, survivors and residents long-term, as well as to working with the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission to ensure a fitting and lasting memorial, determined by the community. This will serve as a permanent tribute to honour those lives lost and those whose lives were changed forever.
Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said: “The tragedy at Grenfell exposed numerous systematic failings in a wide range of areas, in building and product standards and testing, fire safety, and within central government and at local authority level, which must be addressed. Grenfell also highlighted the underlying issue of the stigma faced by those living in social housing, where their concerns were too often cruelly neglected and ignored. This culture must change, and the Government should set out what they will do to ensure that social housing tenants are dealt with respectfully and their complaints responded to.
“It should not be forgotten that many of the victims of the fire at the Grenfell Tower were disabled people. To help ensure such a tragedy is not repeated, it is vitally important the Government addresses the issue of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for disabled people. The Government needs to set out how residential PEEPs will be made enforceable and how they will ensure disabled people in the private rented sector have the same access to PEEPs as those in social housing.
“The Government’s announcement that they will create a single construction regulator, and a Chief Construction Adviser is welcome. The HCLG Committee looks forward to examining the detail of the Government’s plans later this year.
“The HCLG Committee will be holding a short inquiry to undertake an initial examination of the Government’s response to the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations and to explore progress on the wider programme of work around building and fire safety and remediation.”
The transformation is not only about fixing the failures of the past but about ensuring a safer future for generations to come. The highest safety standards will be embedded into the 1.5 million homes the government is committed to delivering this Parliament, ensuring that every new home meets robust safety requirements.
The government response makes clear there is still much more to do and is committed to taking decisive action in response to every recommendation.
