Rt Hon Nick Brown Rt Hon Nick Brown
The Fire Safety Bill was brought before the House of Commons for consideration of amendments made in the House of Lords. The Government have yet to act with any urgency over three years on from the Grenfell tragedy. I am glad that progress is finally being made with this Bill which seeks to address cladding and fire safety. Labour have been seeking several key amendments to the Bill so it protects people further.
As Opposition Chief Whip, I was one of the lead sponsors supporting an amendment which seeks to prevent building owners passing unreasonable costs on to leaseholders. The other amendments we supported also sought to expedite the legislative process and place requirements on building owners to implement the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Unfortunately, the Government did not keep its promise to ensure leaseholders are protected. We will continue to make the argument that this is unfair.