Johnson's peers block Lib Dem push to force developers to remove unsafe cladding

Conservatives in the House of Lords have voted down a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Building Safety Bill that would have penalised developers who do not remove unsafe cladding from their buildings. In a series of votes this evening, the Government voted down Lib Dem proposals that would have forced developers to undertake vital fire remediation work, including removing unsafe cladding, within five years. However, the Government was defeated on proposals to protect leaseholders from the cost of remediation work. As a result of tonight's votes, the proposed £100,000 cap on bills that leaseholders can face has been reduced to £0 - nullifying the cost entirely. Commenting after the vote, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “Tonight, Conservative peers had a chance to stand up for the thousands of leaseholders who, almost five years on from the tragedy at Grenfell, are still trapped in unsafe buildings. “But they bottled it. Instead, they’ve chosen to let those responsible off the hook for not removing dangerous cladding and fixing dangerous fire safety defects. This is unacceptable and shows how little the Government cares.  “We must end the building safety scandal for good by ensuring those responsible undertake this vital remediation work quickly and cannot shift these costs onto residents.”