Government looks at cladding ban amid Grenfell report fury

Whitewash claims as review into tower block fire disaster fails to ban use of combustible material

Ministers have said they are considering a ban on flammable cladding for highrise buildings only hours after a furious backlash over a review into the Grenfell Tower inferno.

Consultations will look at outlawing the material and the desk-top studies used to assess it, Communities Secretary James Brokenshire announced.

The news follows criticism of Dame Judith Hackitt’s report into reforming building regulations in the wake of the June 14 disaster that killed 71 people.

Campaigners had branded it a “whitewash” after it failed to recommend either measure.

Three hours after the review’s publication, Mr Brokenshire told the House of Commons new laws would deliver “meaningful and lasting” change to the building safety system.

He said: “We are consulting on significantly restricting or banning the use of desk-top studies to assess cladding systems.”

He told MPs he wanted to ensure there was “no room for doubt” about materials used on high-rise buildings.

“Having listened carefully to concerns, the Government will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings,” he added.

Shadow housing secretary John Healey said it “beggars belief” that the report “continues to give a green light” to combustiblematerialsonhigh-riseblocks.

He added: “I say to the Secretary of State: Don’t consult on it – do it.”

Dame Judith found indifference and ignorance led to a “race to the bottom” in building safety and made a series of proposals. Among them were to include residents in safety decisions about their properties and the appointment of a new regulator and an oversight body for the construction industry

Grenfell United, the Local Government Association and the Equality and Human Rights Commission were among those to call the report “disappointing”.

Dame Judith said a ban would “not address the root causes” of the “broken system” of building regulations.

But responding to criticism of her report, she said she was open to a ban on combustible cladding in future.

I say to the Secretary of State: Don’t consult on it –doit

Picture: PA Ruin: A fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in London last June, killing 71 people.

Picture: Getty. A placard recalls the people who perished in the Grenfell Tower inferno.