Simon Dudley, Reform UK's housing spokesperson, has been sacked after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a 'tragedy' but said that 'everyone dies in the end'. The comments, made in an interview with Inside Housing magazine, sparked fury from the prime minister and families of the victims.
Dudley, a former head of Homes England, was appointed in February as part of Nigel Farage's plan to bring more 'experts' into the party. In the interview, he described building safety regulations introduced after the 2017 tragedy as 'regulation which is not working'.
After initially standing by Dudley, Farage announced at a press conference on Thursday that he had been 'dealt with' and was no longer a party spokesperson. Farage said Dudley's remarks were 'deeply shocking' and 'hurtful and insulting to an awful lot of people'. He sought to distance himself from the appointment, saying it had been the responsibility of deputy leader Richard Tice.
Grenfell United, representing bereaved families and survivors, described Dudley's comments as 'insensitive and deeply dehumanising'. The group said: '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.'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Farage to sack Dudley, describing his comments as 'shameful'. The Fire Brigades Union also condemned the remarks, with general secretary Steve Wright calling them 'disgusting and shocking'.
Dudley later apologised on X, saying he was 'sorry if it was not sufficiently clear' that he did not intend to belittle the disaster. This is the second time in a month that a frontline Reform figure has been removed over controversial comments, following mayoral candidate Chris Parry's remarks about a Jewish neighbourhood watch group.
