Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) Alex Morris MP has assumed the ministerial duties for building safety, including remediation and the Grenfell Inquiry response.
Taking over the remit for building safety from Rushanara Ali MP, Morris is MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley. His ministerial role will cover local growth and building safety, and includes the following:
- Building safety, regulations, the Building Safety Regulator, and remediation
- Grenfell Inquiry response
- Grenfell Community, Tower, and Memorial
- Resilience, recovery, and emergencies
- Local and regional growth (including Local Growth Plans, Community Ownership, and future of legacy funding streams)
- High streets and towns
- Investment Zones and Freeports
These duties had initially been held by Ali since becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in July 2024. Earlier this month, Ali agreed to relinquish her building safety responsibilities following concerns from the bereaved family members and survivors of Grenfell. As reported by The Sunday Times, Ali had attended the Franco-British Colloque in January, a conference sponsored by manufacturing company Saint-Gobain. The company was notably the majority owner of Celotex, which came under considerable criticism in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
Ali said she understood that “perception matters” and agreed to transfer the building safety portfolio to another minister.
In a statement, the MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney said: “Trusted relationships between ministers and the Grenfell community are essential for this department.
“Before I became a minister, I called for the French delegation of the Franco-British Colloque to cut ties with Saint-Gobain.
“But I understand that perception matters, and I have therefore concluded that the building safety portfolio would be best transferred to another minister.
“Our goals of making buildings safe and preventing another tragedy continue to be very important issues for me, and the deputy prime minister and the rest of the ministerial team have my full support in delivering on this work.”
As Minister for Homelessness and Democracy, Ali will continue her ministerial duties for housing delivery, strategy engagement, homeownership, supported housing, and more.