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Simon Dudley has been dismissed from his role as Reform UK’s housing spokesman after making controversial remarks about the Grenfell Tower fire, party leader Nigel Farage confirmed.
Dudley, a former executive at Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, described the deadly blaze as a “tragedy” but added, “everyone dies in the end.”
He also criticised the regulatory response following the fire, which claimed 72 lives, claiming it had “swung too far the wrong way.”
Farage confirmed the dismissal, stating that the party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, had “dealt” with the matter.
Farage told a press conference on Thursday: “I haven’t spoken to him. He’s under Richard Tice’s department. Richard appointed him housing spokesman, given his depth of experience in developing new towns.
“But the comments were deeply inappropriate. They were, frankly, rather shocking to many people, and Richard has dealt with him.”
The remarks sparked immediate condemnation. Grenfell United described the comments as “deeply dehumanising,” the Standard reported.
They said in a statement: “Our loved ones did not simply ‘die.’
“They were failed. They were trapped in their homes, in a building that should have been safe, in a fire that should never have happened. Reducing their deaths to an inevitability strips away the truth: this was preventable.
“To speak about Grenfell in this way is to erase responsibility. It suggests this was just fate, just ‘how it goes,’ rather than the result of years of ignored warnings, poor decisions, and a failure to value the lives of residents, and is deeply offensive and ill informed.
“Everyone deserves the right to a safe home. But this attitude clearly shows Simon Dudley is not the man to ensure that happens.”
Political leaders also weighed in. Keir Starmer called on Farage to take swift action against Mr Dudley, highlighting the sensitivities surrounding the ongoing aftermath of the Grenfell tragedy.
The Prime Minister on Thursday wrote on X: “Shameful. Nigel Farage should do the decent thing and sack him.”
In response to Starmer’s comment, Dudley said “in no shape or form am I belittling that disaster or the huge loss of life”, and apologised “if it was not sufficiently clear”.
“Grenfell was an utter tragedy and quite rightly prompted a wholesale review and tightening of fire regulations”, he added.
The sacking comes amid ongoing scrutiny of public figures’ handling of issues relating to Grenfell, with survivors and families continuing to campaign for accountability and safety reforms.
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