“The condition of all political parties is bad,” he said. Robert Jenrickdefending Nigel Farage Reform UK housing spokesperson sacked Simon Dudley The following comments about grenfell tower fire.
talking to sky NewsSupporting the decision to sack Dudley after describing the 72 deaths as a “tragedy and failure”, the former Housing Secretary said no party was immune from individuals “crossing the line”, but added that “in the end everyone dies” – comments made by survivors and bereaved families which he described as “deeply dehumanising”.
Farage said the comments were “frankly rather shocking”, confirming that Dudley, the former head of Homes England, is “no longer a spokesperson for the party”.
Grenfell United, which represents some survivors and the bereaved, said in a statement: “Our loved ones did not ‘just die.’ They failed.
“They were trapped in their homes, in a building that should have been safe, in a fire that should never have happened. Reducing their deaths to inevitability takes away the truth: it could have been prevented.
“To speak about Grenfell in this way is to deflect responsibility. It suggests that this was just luck, just ‘how it goes’, rather than the result of years of ignored warnings, poor decisions and a failure to value the lives of residents, and that is extremely offensive and misinformed.
“Everyone has the right to a safe home. But this attitude clearly shows that Simon Dudley is not the kind of person who can ensure that.”
In an interview with industry magazine Inside Housing published last Wednesday, Dudley said building safety rules introduced after the Grenfell fire were not working.
“That was a tragedy, that was a failure,” he said.
“Sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end. It’s just how you move, right?
“Taking Grenfell out of the statistics, it’s rare for people to actually die in house fires. Lots of people die driving cars on the road – but we’re not making cars illegal, so why are we stopping building houses?”
Dudley retweeted a post on Wednesday quoting his “everyone dies in the end” comments.
