The UK government has accepted all 58 recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report and outlined a series of tough new measures to overhaul building and fire safety, strengthen regulation, and improve accountability. These reforms aim to prevent another tragedy like Grenfell, which claimed 72 lives.

Key Measures Announced

• Stronger Industry Regulation
  • A new single construction regulator will be introduced to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account.
  • Tougher oversight of construction product safety will be implemented, with strict consequences for those responsible for testing, certifying, manufacturing, and using unsafe products.
• Legal and Procurement Accountability
  • A legal duty of candour through a new Hillsborough Law will require public authorities to be fully transparent in major incidents, ensuring those responsible are held accountable.
  • Under new procurement powers, seven organisations named in the Inquiry’s report will be investigated. If certain legal grounds are met, they will be placed on a debarment list, meaning public bodies must consider these failings before awarding them government contracts.
• Enhanced Rights for Residents
  • Stronger, clearer, and enforceable legal rights will make landlords responsible for responding to safety concerns.
  • Social housing residents will be empowered to challenge landlords and demand safe, high-quality housing, with expanded support under the Four Million Homes training programme.
  • The government will push forward the Make Things Right campaign to make it easier for tenants to report safety concerns and ensure landlords take action.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner emphasised the government’s commitment:
"The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. The final report exposed in stark and devastating detail the shocking industry behaviour and wider failures that led to the fire, and the deep injustices endured by the bereaved, survivors, and residents."

"We are acting on all of the Inquiry’s findings, and today set out our full response, detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system to ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again."

"That means greater accountability, stronger regulation, and putting residents at the heart of decision-making. We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country, and to the memory of those who lost their lives."

Long-Term Safety and Housing Reforms

The government’s response acknowledges the systemic failings exposed by the Inquiry, including industry-wide "systemic dishonesty", failures in construction standards, poor government regulation, and an industry that failed to prioritise safety. In response, the government has also:

• Launched the Remediation Acceleration Plan (December 2024) to speed up the process of fixing unsafe buildings and ensure rogue freeholders are held accountable.
• Created a public record of all public inquiry recommendations to ensure long-term transparency and accountability.
• Committed to embedding the highest safety standards in new homes, ensuring that all 1.5 million homes planned for delivery in this Parliament meet stringent safety regulations.

Building Safety Minister Alex Norris reinforced the need for reform:
"The Grenfell Tower fire was a preventable tragedy, and the failings it exposed demanded fundamental change."

"Our response today to the Inquiry’s findings sets out a comprehensive plan to reform the construction sector, strengthen oversight and make sure that residents are the priority when deciding on building safety issues."

"We will continue working closely with industry, local authorities and the Grenfell community to make sure these reforms deliver real, lasting change and rebuild trust."

Supplier Accountability and Procurement Action

The government is taking further steps to investigate organisations criticised in the report. Under the Procurement Act, seven organisations will face debarment investigations. If found to have failed in their duties, their names will be added to a public list, meaning they could be barred from receiving future government contracts.

A Lasting Legacy for the Grenfell Community

The government remains committed to long-term support for the bereaved families, survivors, and residents. In collaboration with the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, it will work to create a fitting and lasting memorial, determined by the community, to honour the victims and those affected by the disaster.

The government has apologised on behalf of the British state for its part in the failures that led to Grenfell and acknowledges that there is still much more to do. The reforms set out today aim not only to fix the failures of the past but to ensure that no community ever experiences a tragedy like Grenfell again.

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