Reform UK’s housing spokesperson Simon Dudley has released a statement apologising for comments he made in regards to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Dudley sparked fury this week after comments he made to Inside Housing about the 2017 fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
He told the magazine that Grenfell was a “tragedy” and a “failure” but that “sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end.”
“It’s just how you go, right,” he added.
Dudley then said: “You can’t stop tragic things happening. You can try to minimise excesses, but bad things do happen.”
The comments received widespread condemnation, with Keir Starmer describing them as “shameful” and London Mayor Sadiq Khan saying Dudley’s words were “sickeningly insensitive.”
Now, Dudley, who is a former Head of Homes England and joined Reform in February, has apologised.
In a statement released on Thursday morning, he said: “Grenfell was an utter tragedy and quite rightly prompted a wholesale review and tightening of fire regulations.
“I said it was a tragedy in my interview with Inside Housing and in no shape or form am I belittling that disaster or the huge loss of life.
“It must never happen again. I reiterate that, and am sorry if it was not sufficiently clear.
“To address the national housing crisis, we must ensure that regulation remains safe, sensible and proportionate. My concern is the introduction of numerous measures that do nothing to protect life and are throttling housebuilding.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage is facing calls to sack Dudley over the comments.