Government faces fresh bid to put Grenfell fire safety changes into law

The Government will come under pressure on Tuesday to finally deliver on long-delayed promises to improve building safety in the wake of the Grenfell fire.

Labour is proposing an amendment that implements recommendations from the first stage of an inquiry into the devastating fire in 2017.

Changes to the Fire Safety Bill would force flat owners to share information about their wall design with the fire service.

Owners would also have had to run regular inspections of lifts and flat entrance doors, and share evacuation instructions with residents.

The devastating inferno at Grenfell Tower in West London killed 72 people after the fire spread quickly up the cladding on the outside of the building.

The inquiry found that the building’s exterior did not comply with regulations and that the fire service were too late in advising residents to evacuate.

When it made its recommendations in October 2019, then housing secretary James Brokenshire promised to implement them “in full” and “without delay”.

But after the Tories brought in the Fire Safety Bill – which the Government said would be “a step further” towards delivering the changes – Tory MPs voted against them.

Tory ministers insisted they were already consulting on the changes and have committed to making the inquiry recommendations law – just at a later date.

Now Labour peers will bring in a similar amendment in the House of Lords tomorrow [TUES].

Lord Kennedy of Southwark said: “The early stages of the Grenfell Inquiry highlighted the need for proper evacuation procedures and regular inspections in tower blocks, and for building owners to share information with local Fire Services.

“But it’s now been over a year and ministers have still not delivered on their promise of action.

“That’s why I’ve tabled an amendment to the Fire Safety Bill, to implement those recommendations and ensure no other family suffers the horrors of a Grenfell-like fire.

“The House of Lords will get a chance to vote on this issue on Tuesday and I hope all sides – including those on the Conservative benches – help us put pressure on the Government to change the law.”