The scandal of the government’s cladding cover-up

The Number 10 Christmas parties during lockdown have dominated the news agenda in recent days – and for good reason. But there has arguably been an even bigger government scandal brewing, one which has largely been overlooked in Westminster.

On Tuesday the government told the Grenfell Tower Inquiry that it was ‘deeply sorry’ for the ‘past failures’ which contributed to the devastating 2017 fire which killed 72 people.

Apologies always come in varying forms of breadth and sincerity and this one (as is often the case when delivered by an expensive QC) was carefully limited. The government said that it had assumed fire regulations were being monitored ‘at a local level’ and that it had failed to oversee properly the town halls responsible for enforcing the rules. It also said it had a ‘misplaced trust’ in product suppliers and contractors and this faith was ‘abused’.

It did not take a particularly exacting legal mind to realise that this particular framing of the Grenfell disaster seems to relieve government of any direct responsibility.