Government tackled over why Grenfell cladding ‘crooks' not behind bars

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Ministers have been pressed over why 'crooks' running a firm that made the cladding on Grenfell Tower that was devastated in a fire eight years ago are 'not behind bars'.
The call by Labour former minister Lord Rooker came after fresh evidence emerged that bosses at US-based manufacturing giant Arconic knew of the dangers posed by the highly flammable material prior to the 2017 disaster at the west London high-rise block, which claimed 72 lives.
It followed the release of documents secured through legal action by the makers of a forthcoming Netflix documentary, Grenfell: Uncovered, which were shared with The Sunday Times.
The final report of the Grenfell inquiry concluded each of the deaths was avoidable and had been preceded by 'decades of failure' by government and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
It also found victims, the bereaved and survivors were 'badly failed' through incompetence, dishonesty and greed.
The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said last year.
He also condemned the 'deliberate and sustained' manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.
Arconic and insulation firms Kingspan and Celotex came in for particularly heavy criticism.
Arconic was found to have 'deliberately concealed from the market the true extent of the danger' of using its cladding product, particularly on high-rise buildings.
Kingspan had, from 2005 and even after the inquiry began, 'knowingly created a false market in insulation' for use on buildings over 18 metres, the report said.
Celotex then, in an attempt to break into this market created by Kingspan, 'embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market', Sir Martin concluded.
The Cabinet Office confirmed in February that seven companies were facing possible bans – Arconic, Kingspan, former Celotex owners Saint-Gobain, fire inspectors Exova, design and build contractor Rydon, architect Studio E and subcontractor Harley Facades.
Investigations were launched by the Government in March, assessing whether any engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of the Procurement Act 2023, potentially leading them to be debarred from public contracts.
Questioning the Government over progress on work to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings, Lord Rooker said: 'Can we be assured that the companies identified in the Grenfell report as using dishonest strategies and making false claims, such as Kingspan, Celotex and Arconic, are not involved in any replacement work?
'The companies are reported to have manipulated test data and manipulated the market.'
Speaking in the Lords chamber, where his comments are protected by parliamentary privilege, the peer added: 'The minister and other members will have read the exposure of the crooks running Arconic in a devastating article in the Sunday Times two days ago. Why are these people not behind bars?'
Responding, communities minister Lord Khan of Burnley said: 'The Cabinet Office announced investigations into seven organisations, a few of which he mentioned.
'These organisations were named in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, enabled by the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on February 24 2025.
'The Cabinet Office is considering options under this Act. This is rightly independent.
'While this process must run its course, further actions outside the debarments regime against those involved in this tragedy have not been ruled out.'
Arconic have been contacted for comment.
Responding to the inquiry report last year, the firm said it was its subsidiary, Arconic Architectural Products SAS (AAP), which had supplied the material used for cladding in the tower's refurbishment, and that it rejects 'any claim that AAP sold an unsafe product' and that it 'did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public'.
Kingspan said it had 'long acknowledged the wholly unacceptable historical failings that occurred in part of our UK insulation business' but said these were 'in no way reflective of how we conduct ourselves as a group, then or now'.
Celotex said it had 'reviewed and improved process controls, quality management and the approach to marketing within the Celotex business to meet industry best practice'.