Reform UK urged to sack housing spokesperson over Grenfell Tower remarks
Good morning. A significant policy debate among UK political parties ahead of the next election concerns the future of the pensions triple lock. While many mainstream economists and welfare experts argue that the triple lock is overly generous and ultimately unsustainable—given that pensioners are no longer significantly poorer than working-age individuals—it remains popular. Pensioners vote in higher numbers than younger demographics, making the policy politically sensitive.
The Conservative party once considered abandoning the triple lock, but Kemi Badenoch now strongly supports maintaining it. Labour has yet to clarify its election stance on the matter. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has indicated a willingness to make tough welfare spending cuts and was initially thought to be skeptical of the triple lock. However, Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s Treasury spokesperson, reportedly supports keeping it, and the party later confirmed it would retain the policy during a press conference.
Attention will also focus on Reform UK’s housing spokesperson, Simon Dudley, who faces calls to resign following comments perceived as insensitive regarding the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Press Association reports:
"Reform UK is facing calls to sack its housing spokesman after he said the Grenfell Tower fire was a ‘tragedy’ but that ‘everyone dies in the end’."
Dudley, a former executive at Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, stated that the regulatory response to the 2017 Grenfell fire had swung "too far the wrong way." The Grenfell Inquiry concluded that the 72 deaths were avoidable and resulted from decades of governmental and industry failures to address the risks of flammable materials in high-rise buildings.
Appointed last month, Dudley was tasked with leading an urgent review into Britain’s building crisis, focusing on reforms to planning, housing delivery, and national infrastructure. In an interview with Inside Housing published recently, he described post-Grenfell building safety regulations as an example of ineffective regulation.
"The Grenfell fire was a tragedy," Dudley said, "but I do not believe the regulatory regime is proportionate. Sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end. It’s just how you go, right?"
The Building Safety Regulator, established after the fire to oversee the safety of higher-risk buildings, has been criticized for delays in its approval processes. In June last year, the government introduced reforms to expedite the construction of new high-rise homes, including a fast-track process and increased investment.
Dudley further commented:
"Extracting Grenfell from the statistics, actually people dying in house fires is rare… many, many more people die on the roads driving cars, but we’re not making cars illegal, so why are we stopping houses being built?"
He argued that tragic events cannot be entirely prevented but that efforts should focus on minimizing excesses. He warned that excessive regulation is currently hindering housebuilding.
"So the pendulum has just swung too far the wrong way," he said.
Responding to Dudley’s remarks, Housing Secretary Steve Reed stated:
"If Nigel Farage has an ounce of decency, he will sack his housing chief immediately. These disgraceful comments about those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire are beyond the pale and it is completely untenable for Simon Dudley to continue in his position."
Today's political agenda
9.45am: Lib Dem leader Ed Davey will hold a press conference calling for tax cuts to address rising energy prices linked to the Iran war.
10am: The Scottish Green Party will launch their Holyrood election campaign.
11am: Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick will hold a press conference.
Late morning: Kemi Badenoch will visit Redcar and Sunderland.
Lunchtime: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host a virtual meeting with foreign ministers from 35 countries exploring ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
12.15pm: Russell Findlay, Scottish Conservative leader, will outline plans to improve Scottish education.
3.30pm: Scottish political party leaders will participate in election hustings.
Today, the blog will also introduce a new feature: an afternoon session dedicated to answering reader questions, likely starting around 3pm. Readers are encouraged to post questions below the line (BTL); responses will appear above the line (ATL). For urgent matters, social media is recommended. The author can be reached on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social and on Twitter at @AndrewSparrow.
Q&A highlights
Q: Should Keir Starmer use stronger language to criticize Donald Trump?
Ed Davey said he listened to Trump’s recent address and agreed with Trump on one point: that Trump is not smart enough to end the war. He praised Starmer’s initial efforts to build an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but criticized Trump for putting the UK-US special relationship "on life support."
Q: What is your reaction to Starmer proposing closer links with the EU?
Davey believes Starmer has been "far too timid" on Europe and should advocate for closer ties.
Q: Do you agree with Tory proposals for increased North Sea oil and gas drilling?
Davey accused Kemi Badenoch of lying about the potential £2.5bn tax revenue from more exploration, calling it unrealistic. He noted his own experience approving many North Sea licenses as energy secretary and supports the Jackdaw field proposal.
Q: Do you want people to drive less?
Davey said plans to reduce bus fares aim to encourage public transport use but acknowledged that many people have no alternative to driving.
Q: Should the King and Queen meet Epstein survivors during their US visit?
Davey praised the royal couple’s prior statements supporting Epstein victims but reiterated his opposition to the state visit proceeding.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey calls for 10p per litre fuel duty cut amid Iran war price rises
Ed Davey referred to the recent petrol price increases as the "Trump/Farage/Badenoch tax," blaming the Iran war initiated by Donald Trump and supported by Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch.
He noted that while the Tories and Labour call for postponing the planned fuel duty increase, which takes effect in September, this would not provide immediate relief.
The Liberal Democrats propose an immediate 10p per litre cut in fuel duty, which would save drivers approximately £6.60 per average tank refill. They also plan to reduce rail fares by 10% and cut the bus fare cap from £3 to £1. Davey claims the party has a funding plan for these measures.
SNP’s John Swinney urges parliament recall to debate energy crisis
Contrary to the Lib Dems’ usual calls for an early recall, Ed Davey appears willing to wait until the Commons returns on Monday, 13 April. Instead, Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney has called for an immediate recall to address the energy crisis.
"We are facing an unprecedented energy crisis with motorists being hammered at the petrol pumps and households facing unaffordable energy bills while the UK government is doing nothing. Labour are sleepwalking into a crisis and it will be ordinary people who pay the price. Our European neighbours like Ireland and Spain have already taken action to protect their people from the crisis and have stepped up with billions of pounds in support. Yet the prime minister stands by like a rabbit in the headlights doing nothing. I am calling today for the House of Commons to be recalled from its recess, so that the UK government can be forced into taking action to support people."
Ed Davey is scheduled to begin his press conference shortly, where he will outline a support package he urges the chancellor to announce in an emergency parliamentary statement after Easter.
Conservatives pledge to fully abolish carbon tax
The Conservative Party has committed to completely scrapping the carbon tax if returned to power, according to the Press Association.
"The party had already proposed removing the tax as it applies to electricity generation, but now say they would go further and fully scrap the carbon tax regime, the cost of which they say is burdening British industry."
Labour criticized this plan as "wrong" and said it would "hammer" industry.
The Conservatives intend to eliminate the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), introduced under their government in 2021, which caps carbon emissions in sectors such as heavy industry, power, and aviation, and will extend to maritime from July.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to link the UK ETS with the EU’s system as part of his government’s reset with the bloc.
The Tories also plan to scrap the carbon price support, a levy on fossil fuel electricity producers, and the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), set to begin in January next year. The CBAM aims to prevent UK firms from being undercut by imports and originated from Tory policies in 2023.
Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), commented:
"A well-designed, carbon border adjustment mechanism could help rejuvenate British industry, helping make it more competitive with other cheaper countries, and many businesses have been calling for one for years. But it’s predicated on a UK carbon price and, if we don’t have that, revenues that would have been going to Treasury will instead be transferred into EU coffers when British industry exports to the EU, our largest trading partner. A significant amount of UK steel is exported to the EU each year. Market-based policies like carbon pricing and CBAM have long been advocated for by thinktanks and politicians on the right of politics, so there’s a big question around what you do instead to reach net zero emissions, given that is essential to stopping climate change."
Regarding the Simon Dudley controversy, the Grenfell Next of Kin group demands an apology, stating:
"The death of our parents, partners, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren in the most horrific circumstances was gross negligent manslaughter, NOT fate. Dudley and Reform must apologise to the Grenfell Next of Kin families."
Starmer urges Farage to dismiss Reform UK’s housing spokesperson over Grenfell comment
Labour leader Keir Starmer has also called for Simon Dudley’s removal from his role as Reform UK’s housing spokesperson following his remarks about the Grenfell Tower fire. The Prime Minister’s office has shared this position on social media.
