London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 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. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×