James Riding
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Pleasure to be here, Coco.
Pleasure to be here, Coco.
Well, you're right. It's an absolute beast. It's about 1700 pages and the scope it had to cover was enormous compared to the first report, which only looked at the night of the fire itself. This one has had to trace 30 years worth of decisions, shortcomings, failures from all of the public bodies, institutions and actors involved and what led to the catastrophic 2017 fire. So it's a total beast.
Well, you're right. It's an absolute beast. It's about 1700 pages and the scope it had to cover was enormous compared to the first report, which only looked at the night of the fire itself. This one has had to trace 30 years worth of decisions, shortcomings, failures from all of the public bodies, institutions and actors involved and what led to the catastrophic 2017 fire. So it's a total beast.
And I think there's nothing in the conclusions that people who have been following the story and the inquiry over the past few years would be surprised by necessarily. Nothing that the families would be particularly shocked by who've traced the process of this inquiry. But I think what the inquiry set out to do is to at least try and weigh the failures of each of the actors involved.
And I think there's nothing in the conclusions that people who have been following the story and the inquiry over the past few years would be surprised by necessarily. Nothing that the families would be particularly shocked by who've traced the process of this inquiry. But I think what the inquiry set out to do is to at least try and weigh the failures of each of the actors involved.
And I think it does do that. So there's very strong language for particular actors like the government, the product manufacturers who built the cladding and insulation used on the Grenfell Tower and Grenfell's social housing provider as well.
And I think it does do that. So there's very strong language for particular actors like the government, the product manufacturers who built the cladding and insulation used on the Grenfell Tower and Grenfell's social housing provider as well.
And the other thing that the report does is it lists 59 recommendations mainly around the construction industry, which if the government chooses to enact them, could have really sweeping changes in the way that we manage our built environment.
And the other thing that the report does is it lists 59 recommendations mainly around the construction industry, which if the government chooses to enact them, could have really sweeping changes in the way that we manage our built environment.
Well, I think it's clear that that was a very significant error. And one of the reasons why that's been made so clear is the fact that the new government, which is also a Labour government, has tried to get in ahead of the publication of the report. And they've come out and said, that they are moving to the European fire safety classes for construction products.
Well, I think it's clear that that was a very significant error. And one of the reasons why that's been made so clear is the fact that the new government, which is also a Labour government, has tried to get in ahead of the publication of the report. And they've come out and said, that they are moving to the European fire safety classes for construction products.
Because for the last few years, we've amazingly been having these two regimes running in parallel. And so the fact that the building safety minister, Rushinara Ali, came out and said that before the report was even published, suggests that the government really wants to get ahead of this.
Because for the last few years, we've amazingly been having these two regimes running in parallel. And so the fact that the building safety minister, Rushinara Ali, came out and said that before the report was even published, suggests that the government really wants to get ahead of this.
And this is going to be a huge aspect of the way that the government deals with it now to rectify the situation.
And this is going to be a huge aspect of the way that the government deals with it now to rectify the situation.
I think James Cleverley should take a look at the report's conclusions because it does point out a link between the government's drive for deregulation and the fire. And I think that in particular, it flatly rejects what Lord Pickles, who was previously housing secretary, said to the inquiry where he claimed that building regulations were exempt from the government's drive for deregulation.
I think James Cleverley should take a look at the report's conclusions because it does point out a link between the government's drive for deregulation and the fire. And I think that in particular, it flatly rejects what Lord Pickles, who was previously housing secretary, said to the inquiry where he claimed that building regulations were exempt from the government's drive for deregulation.
The inquiry says, no, that's not the case at all, and that it was something that civil servants were encouraged to look at and to cut back on. And so I think politicians of all stripes need to understand that while companies and businesses will forever complain about the cumbersome weight of regulations and they might have a point about their combined impact.
The inquiry says, no, that's not the case at all, and that it was something that civil servants were encouraged to look at and to cut back on. And so I think politicians of all stripes need to understand that while companies and businesses will forever complain about the cumbersome weight of regulations and they might have a point about their combined impact.