London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Outrage as ministers reject post-Grenfell safety plans for disabled people

Outrage as ministers reject post-Grenfell safety plans for disabled people

Personal fire evacuation plans were in public inquiry’s proposals, which ministers had said they would ‘accept in full’
Ministers have rejected a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower public inquiry that all disabled tenants should be given a personal evacuation plan in the event of a fire, sparking anger from survivors and disability campaigners.

Fifteen of the 37 disabled residents perished in the 2017 fire and Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chairman of the inquiry, recommended in October 2019 that the “owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to prepare personal emergency evacuation plans [Peeps] for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition)”.

But the Home Office said it has decided it is not proportionate or practical to introduce the plan, citing problems such as the costs to landlords. It said good relations between disabled and non-disabled residents could be put at risk if the latter had to shoulder costs associated with the evacuation plans such as buying evacuation chairs, or modifying buildings.

“The evidence base for Peeps is not sufficient to mandate their implementation in high-rise residential buildings at this stage,” it said, as it announced a new consultation on alternative proposals.

In 2019 Boris Johnson told parliament: “Where Sir Martin recommends responsibility for fire safety to be taken on by central government, we will legislate accordingly.”

Robert Jenrick, then the communities secretary, added: “As the prime minister said in his opening remarks, the government will accept all of the findings of the report and accept them in full.”

Disability Rights UK said the government’s decision was “utterly reprehensible and shows that it does not consider our lives to have equal value with non-disabled people”.

Fazilet Hadi, Disability Rights UK’s head of policy, said: “The recommendation that Peeps be put in place was made by the Grenfell Tower inquiry in October 2019, following evidence from fire safety experts. Almost 40% of the disabled residents living in the tower died in the fire, and it is highly likely that their lives could have been saved had Peeps been in place … the government’s decision is a dereliction of its duties under the law, and fails to uphold our human rights.”

Grenfell United, which represents bereaved people and survivors, said the decision “has left us speechless. Outraged.” It said the Grenfell inquiry “concluded that the government must drop its reliance on stay put and provide personal evacuation plans for disabled residents”.

“Today – three years on – the government has announced it will not implement this core recommendation,” it said in a statement. “They have decided that cutting costs is more important than the value of human life. We will not let this be brushed under the carpet.”

The alternative being considered by ministers involves sharing the location of disabled residents with fire services. This would probably be limited to residential blocks with an evacuation, rather than a stay put, strategy in place – typically buildings considered more at fire risk. In these buildings, landlords would be required to ask residents to make themselves known if they feel they might need support to evacuate in the event of a fire.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said it would be “completely unacceptable to have a situation where high-risk buildings in which residents who can do so are told to evacuate immediately if there is a fire, but disabled residents are left inside in the hope of rescue by the fire service”.

“There needs to be an obligation on landlords to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of disabled residents,” said Cllr Ian Stephens, the chair of the LGA fire services management committee.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×