Wed, 24 Dec 2025

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 Major fires still a risk under 'spineless' new safety law, construction boss warns

David Jones believes it will permit too many risks, but the government calls it a proportionate approach.
Government plans to enshrine post-Grenfell fire safety guidelines into law have been strongly criticized by David Jones, president of the Institute of Construction Management. Jones says the current guidance is "loose" and allows for too many "tolerable" risks, including the presence of flammable materials in window systems and between floors. He argues that this permits developers to take advantage of loopholes, and making it law would be a mistake. The government claims the guidelines are a reasonable approach to dealing with the cladding crisis, but Jones disputes this, saying that engineers are not required to provide concrete data on fire safety when assessing risks. Jones' criticism is centered around the fact that the guidelines only deal with exterior facades and do not address internal fire safety issues. He also points out that combustible materials are allowed to remain in place if their use is deemed "tolerable", which can lead to a subjective assessment of risk. The government's motivation for tolerating certain risks is to avoid delays caused by disagreements about what work needs to be done to make buildings safe. However, this approach has been criticized by cladding campaigners and residents' representatives, who fear that it will result in lower fire safety ratings and higher insurance premiums. Jones has described the plans as an "absolute abomination", but the government has rejected his criticisms, saying that making the guidelines law will bring clarity and certainty to the process of deciding which fire safety defects need addressing. The consultation on the guidance becoming law ends on December 31st, with legislation planned for 2026.
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