Housing Minister Rushanara Ali loses court case after Grenfell survivors’ complaint | Political news

A housing minister has lost her case on building safety after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a company criticized by an inquiry into the deadly fire.

Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trust between government and government. Grenfell community are “essential”.

This came after Grenfell United, a group that represents survivors and bereaved families, reportedly demanded his removal, according to Sunday time.

The newspaper reports that she was a regular participant in the Franco-British Colloquium, an annual political forum, co-chaired by former Saint-Gobain president Pierre-André de Chalendar between 2012 and 2024.

The French industrial company was until recently the majority shareholder of Celotex, the company that manufactured most of the flammable insulation used behind the building’s panels.

Celotex was one of the companies Grenfell Inquiry Report cynically, deliberately and dishonestly claimed to sell what they knew to be flammable building materials as “fire safe.”

The fire, which broke out on June 14, 2017 in a 24-storey tower block in Kensington, west London, killed 72 people.

Learn more:
Main findings of the Grenfell inquiry
What happened during the Grenfell Tower fire

Ms Ali said in a statement: “Trusting relationships between ministers and the Grenfell community are essential to this department.

“Before becoming minister, I called on the French delegation at the Franco-British Conference to break its ties with Saint Gobain.

“But I understand that perception matters and so I have concluded that it would be better to transfer the building safety portfolio to another minister.

“Our goals of making buildings safe and preventing further tragedy remain very important issues to me, and the Deputy Prime Minister and the rest of the ministerial team have my full support in carrying out this work.”

She will remain a minister in the Department of Housing, retaining her responsibilities for homelessness and rough sleepers.