Chancellor Rachel Reeves has admitted there needs to be a ‘balance’ when it comes to slashing regulation in the wake of disasters like the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017
Rachel Reeves quizzed Grenfell and regulation
Rachel Reeves has said ministers will keep promises made in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster despite her plans to slash regulation.
An inquiry into the 2017 tragedy found deregulation across David Cameron’s former Tory government contributed to the deadly blaze, which claimed 72 lives. The Chancellor vowed to rip up planning rules and reduce regulation to get Britain building again in a major speech on growth on Wednesday.
Ms Reeves told reporters she “won’t apologise for wanting to reform how regulation works in Britain”. Pressed by the Mirror on deregulation having played a part in the Grenfell disaster, she promised that lessons would be learnt from the tragedy.
Ms Reeves said: “The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have both been to Grenfell and have made commitments to the families there to learn the lessons from what happened. Of course we’ve got to get the balance right on regulation but we’ve made commitments to the families that have suffered because of what happened at Grenfell and we will not renege on those commitments.”
The Phase 2 report into the Grenfell Tower fire, which was published in September, found that Mr Cameron’s government’s push to tear up red tape “dominated” thinking across departments. It concluded that officials were under “pressure because of the policy of deregulation”, including those working in the Communities department, which oversaw building regulations.
On Tuesday night Keir Starmer emphasised his focus on cutting regulation, criticising the “morass of regulation that effectively bans billions of pounds” of investment. The PM said that Britain needed to “clear out the regulatory weeds” that are holding the country back.
During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Deputy PM Angela Rayner told ministers the government will publish its response to the Grenfell inquiry’s report soon. She made clear the government is working closely with, and listening to, survivors and bereaved families to deliver “a generational shift” in the quality and safety of housing.