Cladding on high-rises to be fixed by 2029 - Rayner

Dangerous cladding on all high-rise buildings in government-funded schemes in England will be fixed by the end of 2029, Angela Rayner has pledged.

- Haroon Siddique

Criticising the pace of remediation, more than seven years after the Grenfell fire killed 72 people, the deputy prime minister announced an acceleration plan for buildings of 18 metres and over that will include severe penalties for freeholders who fail to act.

She also said that by the end of 2029 every building 11 metres and over with unsafe cladding will either have been fixed or have a completion date for remedial work, otherwise landlords will face hefty fines.

Ministers claim it is the first time a target date has been set to make buildings safe. But the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign coalition said it was not the "meaningful change" the government had pledged in opposition, and just added more layers of bureaucracy.

Rayner said: "Thousands of people have been left living in homes with dangerous cladding.