On 29 June, Stephen spoke in the Building Safety debate in the House of Commons. He raised the plight of leaseholders in housing affected by cladding and other fire safety defects.
Nearly four years after the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, around 700,000 people are still living in high-rise blocks with flammable cladding. Leaseholders in blocks with combustible cladding and other dangerous materials have experienced problems in selling their homes and many have been expected to pay for interim fire safety measures.
In his speech, Stephen explained how the problem is rooted in the Conservative party’s deregulation agenda and the failure of big housebuilders. He referenced David Cameron, the former Conservative Primer Minister, who - in 2012 - made it his “new year’s resolution to kill off the health and safety culture for good” to demonstrate the urgent need to tighten up regulation in this area. In his concluding remarks, Stephen said “Government must now finally side with leaseholders and would-be home owners and take on, not the building products industry, but the house builders.”
You can watch the full clip of Stephen’s speech below.