Angela Rayner criticises the pace of demolition of unsafe cladding seven years after the Grenfell fire

The Deputy Prime Minister has said she is unhappy with the length of time it is taking to remove unsafe cladding from buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Angela Rayner, who is also housing minister, said the government must “make sure we accelerate the remediation” after the results of the final phase of the Grenfell Tower inquiry were published on Wednesday.

The Report accuses of “systematic dishonesty” of cladding and insulation companies and “decades of failure” on the part of the government and the construction industry for the fire that killed 72 people in the building in west London in June 2017.

Ms Rayner told Sky News' Breakfast with Kay Burley: “The failures were systemic. Absolutely everyone – be it the regulator, those who had the materials, the government, the council, the tenants' association – every single level failed to recognise and protect the residents of Grenfell.”

“It is absolutely shocking to see this.

“This government must ensure that we accelerate the recovery.

“I've looked at it and I'm not happy with the pace at the moment.”

Ms Rayner said the Government would review the report's 58 recommendations and “make sure we do everything in our power to meet them and even go beyond them to give people confidence”.

She added: “What really struck me was that greed and regulation were being put ahead of safety.”

“That’s what needs to change.”

Government figures show that half of the 4,630 residential buildings over 11 metres high that were found to have unsafe cladding after the fire have yet to begin work.

Renovation work has been completed in less than a third – 1,350 buildings.

The inquiry, led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, found that the previous Conservative government was “well aware” of the deadly risks posed by combustible cladding and insulation a year before the fire, but “failed to act on its knowledge”.

It also found that government officials under both Labour and Conservative governments had been “complacent, defensive and dismissive” on fire safety issues for decades.

They gave top priority to cutting building regulations in a “purgatory of bureaucracy,” with deadly consequences.

Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak apologised for the British government's actions on Wednesday, with the Prime Minister saying ministers had “failed to act”.

The Metropolitan Police, which is investigating the accident, said it would take at least three years before any convictions could be made.

Victims' groups called for those responsible to be brought to justice, but the Metropolitan Police said: “We only have one chance to conduct our investigation properly.”

Ms Rayner added: “We cannot tolerate a situation where justice is delayed, because that would be justice denied.”

“So the police will conduct their investigation as quickly as possible. And we must support this process.”

(c) Sky News 2024: Angela Rayner criticises the pace of demolition of unsafe cladding seven years after the Grenfell fire