Grenfell was the product of a broken and dangerous ideology: deregulation. It's time to draw a line under it.

With the final report on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry published yesterday, our new timeline steps you through the dozens of deregulation initiatives launched during the Conservative Government. The timeline shows that the Grenfell tragedy was part of a much wider and more sustained assault on regulation across the UK and the regulatory bodies tasked with enforcing them.

Two things stand out in particular. First, of course, is their relentlessness. Again and again, the same ideas were rehashed and repackaged under different guises. 

Second is the brutal complacency, most starkly brought to light by the brief interlude following the Grenfell disaster. As the media spotlight shifted elsewhere, the mission resumed and has not stopped. In fact, just this week James Cleverly has been campaigning for a reintroduction of a ‘one-in, two-out rule’ as part of his bid to become the next leader of the Conservatives.

You can download the timeline here - please do share it widely.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry 

The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published yesterday, lays bare the shocking truth: the tragedy was not merely a terrible accident, but the result of a dangerous experiment that took hold at the heart of government for over a decade.

The findings are damning: The Government ‘displayed a complacent and at times defensive attitude to matters affecting fire safety. Even more alarming, it concludes that ‘the government’s focus on deregulation dominated the [Housing] department’s thinking so that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded.’

The roots of this catastrophe can be traced back to the early days of the Coalition government. In 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron sent a letter to all ministers outlining an ‘ambitious deregulation agenda’, making them personally accountable for reducing regulations in their departments. This kick-started a series of initiatives aimed at slashing ‘red tape’, including the infamous ‘one-in, one-out’ rule, which was later escalated to ‘one-in, two-out’, and finally to ‘one-in, three-out’. 

Public servants both in national and local government were subsequently made to justify regulatory decisions not on the basis of whether they made us safer, but on whether their existence would entail a ‘cost of doing business’. These political shifts formed part of a sustained effort to strip back regulation and chip away at the ability of regulatory agencies to enforce them.

Seven years on from Grenfell, we’re faced with a shocking truth: despite briefly suspending their ‘one-in, three-out’ regulatory policy following the devastating loss of 72 lives, successive Conservative governments quickly resumed their dangerous deregulation agenda. Just last month, a fire at a tower block in Dagenham – mercifully without loss of life - served as a stark illustration of how poorly the lessons from Grenfell have been leant, and how much still needs to change.

The consequences of this ideology extend far beyond that tragic incident though. From the mass dumping of sewage in our rivers to allegations of widespread profiteering during the cost-of-living crisis, communities across the UK have continued to feel the impact of weakened regulations and toothless enforcement. For many, the new government offers hope that we might finally put this dangerous and absurd ideology to bed.

Join our upcoming event

The new Labour government has the opportunity to offer a regulatory system that truly protects all members of our society. 

We’re hosting an online event on September 12th (12:30-2:00) to discuss this crucial political juncture. We’ll be joined by More in Common and the New Economy Organisers Network (NEON) to discuss why this is such an important narrative for Labour to lean into, and how the protections movement can influence this agenda.