Ministers finally say they will ban combustible cladding but give no deadline for its use

The Government will ban combustible tower block cladding in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, it said today. 

In a statement issued today, housing minister James Brokenshire said he would move to make it illegal to cover the outside of high-rises with flammable materials like the ones used on the west London block.

But he failed to set a deadline, suggesting the decision would only be made after a consultation. 

‘I have listened carefully to concerns and I intend to ban the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings, subject to consultation,’ he said.

Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey London social housing block, was engulfed in flames after fire broke out in the middle of the night in June last year.

Officials have said aluminium cladding with a plastic core contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.

‘The cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used.

‘But I believe that the changes on which we are consulting will offer even greater certainty to concerned residents and to the construction industry.’ 

James Brokenshire (pictured) announced that the possible ban on combustible cladding today

‘The cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used.

‘But I believe that the changes on which we are consulting will offer even greater certainty to concerned residents and to the construction industry.’

The Grenfell Tower fire, Britain’s deadliest on domestic premises since World War Two, is the subject of both an inquiry and a separate police investigation which could result in criminal charges.