Flammable cladding used on Grenfell Tower must be banned

The Liberal Democrats have called for the type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower to be banned in the UK, after it emerged the material is currently banned in US buildings over 40 feet for fire safety reasons and is classed as flammable in Germany. The damning revelations in The Times also found it would have cost just £5000 more to use fire-resistant panels instead of flammable ones. The government committed to reviewing building regulations on fire safety several years ago but the review has still not begun. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake commented: "It is simply beyond belief to think that if just £5,000 more had been spent, these tragic deaths could have been prevented. "The government must urgently bring UK fire safety standards into line with those abroad. "It seems people's homes were turned into death traps because they were fitted on the cheap. "It is utterly unacceptable and must never be allowed to happen again. "We must invest in safe, adequate homes for all and ensure strict fire safety standards are in place and fully implemented."