Grenfell Tower law will compel owners to keep buildings safe

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/12/grenfell-tower-law-compels-owners-to-keep-buildings-safe

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Legislation that would force developers and landlords to comply with rigorous new safety standards will be announced in the Queen’s speech on Monday with the aim of preventing a repeat of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Ministers say that the creation of a new buildings safety regulator will be the biggest reform of the sector in 40 years, imposing far stronger obligations on those responsible for the safety of high-rise buildings throughout design, construction and occupation.

The long-awaited report from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, which claimed 72 lives, is due to be published within weeks.

Other bills to be announced include measures to support the NHS and the police, which Boris Johnson says will make the United Kingdom “the greatest place on earth”, once the government has completed Brexit and is able to concentrate on domestic priorities.

But with the prime minister lacking a Commons majority, and his hopes of a Brexit deal on a knife edge, there is a real possibility that the Queen’s speech in its entirety could be voted down by parliament for the first time since 1924 – adding to the sense of political chaos and uncertainty at Westminster.

While the loss of the Queen’s speech would inevitably lead to calls from opposition parties for the prime minister to resign, Downing Street has made it clear that Johnson would carry on and merely use such an outcome to amplify his calls for a general election.

To emphasise that Brexit is the government’s No 1 priority, the Queen’s speech will contain plans for a withdrawal agreement bill that ministers hope will pass by 31 October. But this depends both on a deal being struck with the European Union and a meaningful vote being passed in parliament beforehand – both of which are hugely uncertain.

Among the 22 new bills will be Brexit-related legislation to ensure faster access to innovative medicines and measures to introduce “a fair global immigration system”.

Johnson said: “Getting Brexit done by 31 October is absolutely crucial, and we are continuing to work on an exit deal so we can move on to negotiating a future relationship based on free trade and friendly cooperation with our European friends.

“But the people of this country don’t just want us to sort out Brexit. They want their NHS to be stronger, their streets safer, their wifi faster, the air they breathe cleaner, their kids’ schools better funded – and this optimistic and ambitious Queen’s speech sets us on a course to make all that happen, and more besides.

“After one of the least active parliaments in living memory, the proposals we are bringing forward will get this country moving again. This is a Queen’s speech that will deliver for every corner of the UK and make this, once again, the greatest place on earth.”

James Cleverly, the Conservative party chairman, said that if Labour voted against the Queen’s speech it would be preventing the country from moving forward after three years of Brexit paralysis.

“Labour have spent the past year crying out for a Queen’s speech. Now it’s time for them to show the country that they can put people’s priorities first – and back our plans,” he said.

“Any opposition MP contemplating blocking plans to keep our NHS running and our streets safer needs to put differences over Brexit aside and give parliament the power to get our country moving forward.”

The plans for safer housing will give the regulator enforcement powers to apply criminal sanctions to building owners who flout the rules. Robert Jenrick, the housing, communities and local government secretary, said: “We must never see a tragic incident like the fire at Grenfell Tower happen again. That is why we are introducing the biggest reforms to the building safety regime in nearly 40 years.

“The current system will be overhauled and a new regulator with powers to enforce criminal sanctions will be at the heart of protecting residents.

“This new legislation will also give residents a stronger voice to ensure that their safety is the top priority of every building owner and developer.”