Housing minister gives up Grenfell role after survivors complain about her links to firm criticised in inquiry

20 October 2024, 11:51 | Updated: 20 October 2024, 11:55

Grenfell survivors called out housing minister Rushanara Ali after she attended a conference linked with a firm criticised in the inquiry.

Grenfell United, a group of Grenfell Tower survivors and affected families, allegedly criticised the housing minister's decision to attend the conference and called for her removal.

Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, regularly attended the annual policy forum Franco-British Colloque.

The co-chair of the forum was Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, the former chairman of French manufacturing company Saint-Gobain. He served in this role from 2012 to 2024.

Saint-Gobain previously owned Celotex, a firm responsible for most of the flammable insulation behind the panels on the Grenfell building.

Celotex was named in the Grenfell Inquiry report for dishonestly selling flammable construction materials and insisting the 'fire safety' of these materials.

Read more: London has come close to 'other deadly Grenfell tragedies' several times, fire chief tells LBC

Read more: Bring criminal prosecutions against Grenfell Tower cladding firms, urges Gove

Ms Ali's decision to attend the conference allegedly 'infuriated' survivors and families of Grenfell Tower, according to the Sunday Times.

In response to relinquishing her role, Ms Ali said: "Trusted relationships between ministers and the Grenfell community are essential for this department.

"Before I became a minister, I called for the French delegation of the Franco-British Colloque to cut ties with Saint Gobain.

"But I understand that perception matters and I have therefore concluded that the building safety portfolio would be best transferred to another minister.

"Our goals of making buildings safe and preventing another tragedy continue to be very important issues for me, and the deputy prime minister and the rest of the ministerial team have my full support in delivering on this work."

Ms Ali will retain her ministerial position in the housing department, with much of her role dedicated to overseeing homelessness.

A fire engulfed the Grenfell Tower block on June 14, 2017.

72 people lost their lives in the fire which struck the 24-storey tower block located in North Kensington.

The long-awaited conclusion of the Grenfell Inquiry was released in September.

The report found there was a “complacent and defensive attitude to fire safety” within Government, with ministers repeatedly failing to act on warnings about the risks of the flammable cladding.

The inquiry found that organisations who made and sold the products, used on Grenfell Tower, were “deliberately dishonest".

Celotex was said to have manipulated a test on its insulation to “mislead the market”.

Another company named in the report was Arconic Architectural Products, which was responsible for manufacturing the cladding panels.

The report held that the firm "determined to exploit weak regulation in the UK” while being aware of the risks of the cladding.

Celotex responded to the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, stating: "Our business’ response to what happened started immediately after the fire in June 2017.

"We conducted our own review to interrogate the circumstances in which the RS5000 product had been tested, launched and marketed.

"This review was a significant and thorough undertaking, and the results of that work were disclosed promptly and proactively to relevant stakeholders, including the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

"Independent testing commissioned following the review demonstrated that the cladding system described in the Celotex RS5000 marketing literature met the relevant safety criteria. That system was substantially different to that used at Grenfell Tower.

"Decisions about design, construction and the selection of materials for the Tower were made by construction industry professionals.

"Since the fire, we reviewed and improved process controls, quality management and the approach to marketing within the Celotex business to meet industry best practice. Celotex Limited continues to cooperate fully with all official investigations into the Grenfell Tower fire.

"We reiterate our sympathies to everyone affected by the fire."

Arconic Architectural Products, one of the other manufacturing firms named in the Inquiry report, also released a statement in response to the findings: "Arconic’s subsidiary, Arconic Architectural Products SAS (AAP), supplied sheets of aluminium composite material that were used to manufacture the rainscreen for the Grenfell Tower refurbishment.

"The fire was a terrible tragedy and as Arconic remembers the 72 people who died, our thoughts remain with the families, friends and all of those affected.

"AAP was a core participant in the Inquiry and has acknowledged its role as one of the material suppliers involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

"The company respects the Inquiry process. AAP cooperated fully with the work of the Inquiry and will continue to engage with further legal processes. Together with other parties, AAP has made financial contributions to settlements for those affected, as well as to the restorative justice fund.

"Throughout the Inquiry, AAP has maintained a number of points:

• AAP sold sheets of aluminium composite material as specified in the design process. This product was safe to use as a building material, and legal to sell in the UK as well as the more than thirty other countries in which AAP customers purchased the product. We reject any claim that AAP sold an unsafe product.
• AAP regularly conducted tests of its materials using third-party testing bodies. Reports on these results were all publicly available, and AAP made these reports available to its customers.
• AAP did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public."