Grenfell Tower fire: Lord Eric Pickles oversaw government's 'deregulatory agenda' - what did inquiry say about him?

The inquiry’s final report, which was released today, found the devastating blaze which killed 72 people was the result of “decades of failure” by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

A drive within government years before the fire for deregulation meant concerns about the safety of life had been “ignored, delayed or disregarded”, the report said, despite the deadly Lakanal House fire which killed six people in 2009.

In the years after, the agenda to cut red tape was “enthusiastically supported” by some politicians in charge, it continued. In particular, Lord Pickles, who grew up in Keighley but was MP for Brentwood in Essex, came under criticism from inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

As secretary of state in the department responsible for building regulations, the inquiry found Lord Pickles oversaw a culture focused on deregulation, where civil servants felt unable to raise concerns about fire safety.

Sir Martin said there was a “wealth of material” to show Lord Pickles was an “ardent supporter” of deregulation and “the pressure within the department to reduce red tape was so strong that civil servants felt the need to put it at the forefront of every decision”.

Lord Pickles himself told the inquiry he would have regarded it as “ludicrous” if civil servants thought the drive for deregulation covered building regulations, but Sir Martin said documentary evidence supported claims by officials that deregulation was “a dominant influence within the department”.

He said it was “not uncommon” for the building regulations and standards division to receive emails thanking them for their efforts in meeting Lord Pickles’ “ambition on deregulation”.

The report said: “In the years that followed the Lakanal House fire the Government’s deregulatory agenda, enthusiastically supported by some junior ministers and the secretary of state (Lord Pickles), dominated the department’s thinking to such an extent that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded.”

It concluded: “The failure to foster a culture in which concerns could be raised and frank advice given represents a serious failure of leadership on the part of ministers and senior officials.”

During the inquiry itself, Lord Pickles provoked outrage from survivors after giving the wrong figure for the number of people killed in the disaster, saying 96 rather than 72.

In a statement on X/Twitter, Lord Pickles: “I welcome the recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry.

“I particularly welcome the call for greater transparency and coordination within government.

“I thank the Inquiry team for their diligence in a detailed examination of the Grenfell fire and hope the lessons learnt ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and their families.”

The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, Sir Martin said.

He called out “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire-safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the report identified “substantial and widespread failings”, adding that the Government will carefully consider its recommendations “to ensure that such a tragedy cannot occur again”.

The seven-volume and near-1,700 page final report of the inquiry into the disaster laid out in damning detail how those in positions of responsibility had not heeded or acted on warnings from earlier fires.