The long-awaited final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published today, lays bare a shocking truth: the tragedy that claimed 72 lives was not merely a terrible accident, but the result of a dangerous experiment that took hold of at the heart of government for over a decade.
The Inquiry report lays bare the catastrophic consequences of a decades-long assault on regulation. The findings are damning: The Government ‘displayed a complacent and at times defensive attitude to matters affecting fire safety.’
Even more alarming, it concludes that ‘the government’s focus on deregulation dominated the [Housing] department’s thinking so that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded.’
How it all started
The roots of this catastrophe can be traced back to the early days of the Coalition government.
In 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron sent a letter to all ministers outlining an ‘ambitious deregulation agenda’, making them personally accountable for reducing regulations in their departments. This kick-started a series of initiatives aimed at slashing ‘red tape’, including the infamous ‘one-in, one-out’ rule, which was later escalated to ‘one-in, three-out’.
Whether it was fire safety rules or building regulations, public servants both in national and local government were made to justify regulatory decisions not on the basis of whether they made us safer, but on the basis of whether their existence would entail a ‘cost of doing business’.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer apologises to Grenfell families following publication of inquiry’s final report
The consequences of this ideology which were brought to light by Grenfell tragedy extend far beyond that tragic incident. From the mass dumping of sewage in our rivers to allegations of widespread profiteering during the cost-of-living crisis, communities across the UK have felt the impact of weakened regulations and toothless enforcement.
Just last month, a fire at a tower block in Dagenham – mercifully without loss of life – served as a chilling reminder that the lessons of Grenfell remain unlearned. That this could happen seven years after Grenfell, while the building was still undergoing work to remove flammable cladding, is a stark illustration of how much still needs to change.
Seven years on, we’re faced with a shocking truth: despite briefly suspending their ‘one-in, three-out’ regulatory policy following the devastating loss of 72 lives, successive Conservative governments quickly resumed their dangerous deregulation agenda.
The chance to offer an alternative
Since then, we have seen multiple senior Conservatives making a pitch for deregulation as the key ‘Brexit benefit’, the key to unlocking ‘British enterprise’ and the way towards a host of other economic miracles.
Currently leadership candidates continue to bang on this drum, despite the conclusive evidence that not even backbone Conservatives support it. Another ‘Red Tape Initiative’ was launched mere months after the fire to Kemi Badenoch’s recent ‘Smarter regulation plan’.
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James Cleverly’s proposal for a ‘one-in, two-out’ approach to regulations shows that the Conservatives have truly run out of ideas. The question remains whether they will acknowledge the link between deregulation and tragedy after Grenfell, or whether they will continue to double down on the very policies that put lives at risk.
The recommendations from the enquiry must be implemented urgently. But we must go further. We need a complete overhaul of how we think about regulation, with robust enforcement, proper funding for inspections, and genuine accountability for those who put profit before people’s safety.
Labour now has a golden opportunity to offer a real alternative – a regulatory system that truly protects all members of our society. It’s time to learn from these tragic failures and ensure that such a disaster can never happen again.
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