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New building safety minister appointed
Alex Norris has been appointed building safety minister after Rushanara Ali lost the brief.
Mr Norris, MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley, was handed the responsibilities, which include the government’s response to the Grenfell Tower fire, after bereaved family members and survivors of the disaster complained about Ms Ali’s attendance at Franco-British Colloque.
The conference was sponsored by Saint-Gobain, which was the majority owner of Celotex, one of the firms heavily criticised by the inquiry for its involvement in the fire.
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Celotex made RS5000, the majority of the combustible insulation used behind the cladding panels on the walls of Grenfell Tower.
The Phase 2 report from the inquiry found that Celotex had “rigged” an official fire safety test on a system containing its product, by strategically placing fire-resisting boards around the thermocouples that monitor temperature and determine the pass/fail criteria.
The firm then deliberately hid that it had done this in reports and marketing material, and obtained certificates that said the product could be used on high rises.
Ms Ali, who remains minister for homelessness, said she understands that “perception matters” and she has “therefore concluded that the building safety portfolio would be best transferred to another minister”.
Mr Norris, elected an MP in the 2017 election, was named minister for democracy and local growth after the 2024 election.
His responsibilities now include building safety regulations; the Grenfell Inquiry response; local and regional growth; and high streets, investment zones and freeports.
Over his parliamentary career, he has served as private secretary to shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth, opposition whip, and shadow minister for prevention, public health and primary care in prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s first opposition frontbench.
He has also served as acting shadow minister for the Department for International Development, shadow minister for levelling up, and shadow minister for policing.
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