UK government responds in full to Grenfell Tower Inquiry findings

The UK Government has responded in full today (26 February 2025) to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, with Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, presenting a statement to the House of Commons.

The statement, which followed Prime Minister’s Questions, comes almost six months after the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 Report in September 2024.

That Report contained a total of 58 recommendations, with the Deputy Prime Minister’s statement confirming that the government will act on all 58, with 49 “accepted in full by both government and other responsible organisations.”

The remaining nine recommendations are accepted by the government “in principle and makes clear in our response how we will implement them.”

The plan for a number of reforms was outlined in the statement, including, but not limited to:

• a new, single regulator of construction, responsible for holding those responsible for building safety to account
• tougher oversight of those responsible for testing, certifying, manufacturing and using construction products
• a new Hillsborough Law, aimed at compelling public authorities to disclose the truth, ensuring transparency in major incidents and holding those responsible for failures to account
• new powers under the Procurement Act to investigate some of the specifically-named and criticised organisations in the Phase 2 Report
• professionalising the role of fire engineer within the building safety sector

Angela Rayner also announced the publication of a construction products green paper, which deals with the government’s proposal to overhaul the construction products sector, “the regulatory regime that governs it and the institutions that must fulfil their responsibilities in assuring safe products that can be safely used.”

The release of the green paper officially opens “the start of a formal consultation and period of active engagement to ensure we get the detail of the proposed reforms right.”

In terms of the government communicating their progress in acting upon today’s statement, the Deputy Prime Minister has promised to publish updates every quarter from mid-2025, as well as an annual report to Parliament. In their official press release, the government refers to a three-phased approach to delivering reform, covering current regulatory change, moving on to ensuring fully developed proposals and legislative change, and then aiming to focus on the implementation of these reforms from 2028 onwards.

Find the press release in its entirety via the UK Government website here.

The full Government statement, including the individual responses to each of the Inquiry’s recommendations, can be found here.

CABE will be absorbing the particulars of the official government response over the coming days, giving careful consideration to next steps. The Association remains committed to working collaboratively with members, fellow professional bodies, regulators, and government to address the impact of industry reform for the betterment of safe buildings for all.