A government minister has stepped down from her role overseeing building safety and the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Rushanara Ali, who continues to serve as the minister for homelessness, made the decision after facing criticism for attending an event sponsored by a company linked to the Grenfell Tower fire. The event in question was the Franco-British Colloque, which was co-chaired by Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, the chief executive and chairman of Saint Gobain, a French company that was the former owner of insulation firm Celotex. Celotex supplied insulation boards for the flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower and was found to have misled customers about the fire resistance of its products.
Grenfell United, a group representing survivors and families affected by the fire, raised concerns about Ali’s regular attendance at the conference. In response, Ali stated that “perception matters” and announced her decision to relinquish her building safety responsibilities. She emphasised the importance of trusted relationships between ministers and the Grenfell community. Ali had urged the organisers of the event to sever ties with Saint Gobain, and following her decision to step down from her building safety role, Saint Gobain has confirmed that they will no longer be involved in future conferences.
In her statement, Ali expressed her ongoing commitment to ensuring building safety and preventing similar tragedies in the future. She pledged her support to her colleagues and the ministerial team in their efforts to work towards these goals. The move comes as part of Ali’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of her role and building trust with the communities affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar has since resigned as co-chairman of the event, further signalling a shift away from associations with companies implicated in the Grenfell tragedy.