PM’s top aide ‘knew it was a hazard - but did nothing’
THERESA May’s new chief of staff was in the dock last night over claims he ‘sat on’ evidence which showed high-rise blocks were vulnerable to fire.
Gavin Barwell, who was housing minister until he lost his seat last week, promised to respond to a major coroner’s report which demanded safety improvements following a previous fatal blaze.
But it appears that no progress has been made – and at the weekend the Prime Minister brought him in to fill the senior Downing Street role.
It also emerged last night that another former housing minister, Brandon Lewis, had questioned whether it was the Government’s responsibility to ensure tower blocks have sprinklers.
Mr Lewis – who was promoted by the Prime Minister at the weekend and now attends Cabinet – said regulations should be changed only as a ‘last resort’.
Last night fire minister Nick Hurd said emergency checks are to be carried out on tower blocks going through the same process of refurbishment as the Grenfell building destroyed in yesterday’s blaze.
But the move only intensified claims that ministers should have done this before the tragedy.
The coroner first urged ministers
‘It could have saved lives’
to strengthen building regulations – including introducing sprinkler systems – in 2013 after a fatal fire in a south-east London block. But more than four years after the report, the Government has not even said whether it would consider changing the rules.
Last night members of the allparty parliamentary group on fire safety said ministers had been warned that building regulations were out of date.
Its chairman, Labour MP and former fireman Jim Fitzpatrick, told LBC: ‘We’ve been pressing for fire sprinkler systems in buildings where we think it’s appropriate... and government has been resisting that for some time.’ Referring to the coroner’s report, he added: ‘You’d have to ask them why they’ve sat on it for four years.’ Concerns were raised about safety in tower blocks in 2009 when six died in a fire in Lakanal House, Camberwell. Ministers responded by promising the review of regula- tions. But, when challenged in 2014, Mr Lewis – now immigration minister – appeared to dismiss the idea of any changes.
He told the Commons: ‘We should intervene only if it is entirely nec- essary, and only as a last resort.’ He said too many regulations could hamper house building, adding: ‘We believe it is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market sprinkler systems effectively and encourage their wider installation.’
Mr Barwell, who took over as housing minister last year, told MPs in October that part of the regulations would be reviewed following the Camberwell fire probe. The review was never published and safety experts claimed the Government’s desire to cut red tape could be to blame.
Ex-chief fire officer Ronnie King, honorary secretary of the all-party parliamentary group, said the regulations ‘ badly need updating’ and ‘three successive ministers have not done it’. Mr King said if they had, ‘it could have saved lives’. Downing Street denied ministers had dragged their feet.
A Whitehall source insisted work was ongoing on the building regulations – and that Mr Barwell had taken steps to speed up the process by commissioning a survey.