Reform UK has sacked its housing spokesperson, Simon Dudley, after he described the Grenfell Tower fire as a tragedy but said “everyone dies in the end”. The comments were condemned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and families of the victims.
Dudley, a former head of Homes England, gave an interview to Inside Housing magazine in which he criticised building safety regulations introduced after the 2017 disaster as “regulation which is not working”. Reform initially defended him, but leader Nigel Farage later announced at a press conference that Dudley had “gone” due to his “deeply shocking” remarks.
Farage sought to distance himself from the appointment, blaming deputy leader Richard Tice. Tice had retweeted Dudley’s attempted defence an hour before Farage’s comments. Dudley is the second Reform figure removed in a month after controversial statements, following mayoral candidate Chris Parry.
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… Reducing their deaths to an inevitability strips away the truth: this was preventable.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Farage to sack Dudley, calling his comments “shameful”. The Fire Brigades Union also criticised the remarks, with general secretary Steve Wright calling them “disgusting and shocking”. Dudley later apologised, saying he in no way belittled the disaster.
