Written Statements

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

Wednesday 20 May 2026

Horizon Shortfall Scheme: Fixed-sum Offer Appeals and Independent Senior Lawyer

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Blair McDougall)]

The Government are determined that postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they deserve.

The Government are today announcing further details about how postmasters who previously accepted the Horizon shortfall scheme fixed-sum offer will be able to request permission from an independent person to appeal their award. We are also providing an update on the recommendations from the Horizon shortfall scheme independent senior lawyer on cases where there is no evidence of a shortfall.

Permission to appeal

Volume 1 of the Post Office IT Horizon inquiry report recommended that postmasters who feel they may have under-settled their HSS claim by accepting the 75,000 HSS FSO

“should be afforded the opportunity to appeal against their acceptance of such an offer if they are granted permission to do so”

by an independent person. Being granted permission to appeal will not guarantee that a postmaster’s award will be uplifted when their claim is fully assessed in the HSS appeals process.

To implement Sir Wyn Williams’ recommendation, the Department for Business and Trade has developed draft guidance for the scheme and engaged with key stakeholders, including claimants’ representatives, the Horizon compensation advisory board and postmaster organisations. This is to ensure that the process will be fit for purpose and meets its aims.

The FSO permission to appeal process will open for registrations later this year. Postmasters who have already received an FSO will have three months from the launch date to register and seek permission to appeal. Those who receive FSOs in future will have three months from the date of the offer to seek permission to appeal. Once confirmed as eligible, they will then have a further three months to make their application by submitting a concise written narrative explaining why they believe that their claim was under-settled. Assessment of these requests will be undertaken completely independently of the Department and Post Office. A postmaster who is granted permission will be permitted to apply to the HSS appeals process.

DBT will fund postmasters’ reasonable costs of obtaining legal advice to understand the value of their potential claim and prepare their narrative on the basis of a tariff which was discussed with legal representatives and has also been published today. We will strongly encourage those considering seeking permission to appeal to take up this offer and only engage solicitors and firms that are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Additionally, postmasters should not engage any firm which offers a “no-win, no-fee” conditional fee or litigation funding agreement.

The Government have today published the draft fixed-sum offer permission to appeal process guide, which details the proposed principles, eligibility criteria, stages of the process and expectations for applicants. This provides the information which postmasters and their legal representatives will need to start submitting cases. We continue to welcome feedback from stakeholders on our proposals. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-hss-fixed-sum-offer-permission-to-appeal-process .

DBT will work with the Post Office to ensure postmasters who previously received an FSO are contacted upon launch to make them aware that this process is available.

Horizon shortfall scheme

In December 2025, Sir Gary Hickinbottom was appointed to the HSS as the independent senior lawyer to review any generic issues arising under the scheme; and, if appropriate, make recommendations to ensure full, fair and prompt redress within the scheme and, as far as possible, across the Horizon redress schemes as a whole.

The DBT and Post Office referred the handling of cases without shortfall evidence to Sir Gary for review. He has reviewed this process and provided recommendations on it. He advised that, subject to implementation of those recommendations, the process is appropriate, robust and fair, and does not apply more than the necessary burden on claimants. The Government have today published the full report which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-senior-lawyers-review-of-unevidenced-shortfalls-process . The Post Office and the Department are grateful for his advice and have accepted his recommendations in full.

In addition to the report, we have issued guidance outlining the procedures for managing and processing these cases to ensure claimants have a clear understanding of how their claims will be handled. The Post Office and the Department are committed to providing full and fair redress for those affected by the Horizon scandal. We consider that this revised process will ensure that applicants will obtain that redress in a manner that is fair to all claimants. DBT will continue to work with Post Office to ensure claims are processed as quickly as possible.

I will keep the House updated as this work progresses.

[HCWS45]

Trade Negotiations

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Trade (Chris Bryant)]

The UK has concluded a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—as friends and valued partners.

The UK’s ties with the Gulf are deep, historic, and future-focused. This deal is founded upon our shared commitment to open trade, mutual prosperity, and the long-term economic success of all our nations.

The Government recognise the challenges UK businesses are facing as a result of the situation in the middle east and are already taking action to support firms through this period of uncertainty, by supporting critical supply chains, strengthening domestic steel production and boosting consumer confidence. Ministers are working closely with business groups and industry leaders to understand the pressures facing industry and, as the situation develops, will be agile in responding.

Today’s agreement with the GCC supports that wider, co-ordinated response—providing the legal certainty and long-term stability that businesses tell us they need to plan, invest and grow with confidence. Alongside domestic action through the industrial strategy and small business plan, this deal forms part of a coherent strategy to build economic resilience and support long-term growth in trade and exports.

This deal is one of the most ambitious that the GCC has ever concluded and marks the first FTA it has concluded with a G7 nation. It reflects and strengthens the deep, long-standing partnership between our nations, built on decades of shared commitment to open trade, mutual prosperity and the long-term economic success of all our nations.



The GCC is equivalent to the UK’s 10th largest trading partner¹, with total trade between the UK and GCC valued at £53 billion in 2025². This deal is estimated to grow trade between us by almost 20%³, supporting economic growth and putting money in people’s pockets. The deal could add an estimated £3.7 billion annually to the UK economy in the long run when compared to 2040 projections and £1.9 billion a year to real wages⁴. When combined with the India FTA, the two agreements are estimated to add over £8 billion a year in real terms⁵, helping to drive forward our modern industrial strategy. This agreement responds directly to the priorities raised by UK businesses and includes measures that will meaningfully improve the ease of doing business with the GCC.

As the second largest services exporter in the world⁶, with strengths in sectors such as financial and professional business services, the UK is well matched to support the Gulf’s ambitions to diversify its economies. This FTA gives UK firms the tools and certainty they need to expand their presence across the region. This includes locking in market access across a broad range of sectors for our services firms. This will ensure that UK businesses are provided with guaranteed terms on which to trade, reducing the risk of future restrictions that could impact their operations. This includes limitations on foreign ownership or requirements to set up a base in the GCC to supply their services in the region. We are also providing greater regulatory transparency in telecoms, including authorisation and licensing processes, ensuring that businesses can access GCC regulations and that regulatory processes are fair and efficient.

The GCC has taken its most ambitious commitments on business mobility to date, which will improve consistency and transparency of visa requirements and processes, and provide increased certainty on the level of access that businesses can enjoy. This will support UK firms to deliver services in the region, in support of the GCC’s diversification plans.

For the first time, the GCC has committed not to impose disproportionate or unjustified requirements on firms to store their data locally in the bloc, giving UK tech firms greater confidence that they will not face costly new burdens. The far-reaching digital provisions in this agreement will drive innovation and support the use of emerging digital technologies through UK-GCC co-operation. This will enable both sides to take advantage of opportunities when new products and services emerge, including in areas such as artificial intelligence, paperless trade and clean energy.

For goods exporters, the deal will make trade cheaper, faster, and more predictable, cutting red tape, reducing and removing tariffs and simplifying customs processes. Based on existing trade, the deal will eliminate duties worth an estimated £580 million a year on UK goods exported to the GCC once fully implemented.

Some £360 million of these estimated duties will be removed on day one of the agreement entering into force⁷. After a decade, 90% of GCC tariff lines will have tariffs removed, unlocking tariff-free access for around 93% of UK goods exports based on existing trade. Two thirds of UK exports will enter the GCC tariff-free immediately after the deal enters into force, delivering a major boost for UK manufacturers, food and high-value brands⁸. The UK is also liberalising tariffs on all current GCC exports from day one under this agreement, supporting supply chains and helping UK businesses to reduce input costs. The deal excludes pork, chicken and eggs from tariff liberalisation.

This deal removes tariffs on British exports, including automotives, aerospace, and food and drink such as smoked salmon and baked goods. UK businesses will benefit from tailored rules of origin, digital trade provisions such as paperless trading, a ban on customs duties on electronic transmissions and provisions allowing UK exporters, should they wish, to complete and self-certify their own origin documentation after initial registration. This was a top ask from businesses, helping to remove the often costly and time-consuming requirements which often deter smaller firms from exporting.

Investment is a core pillar of our growth mission, and this deal lays the foundation for even deeper UK-GCC investment ties, protecting investment on both sides and driving growth for years to come. The GCC is already a key source of inward investment into the UK, with total foreign direct investments, portfolio, derivatives and other investment assets and liabilities between the UK and Gulf Arabian countries—which include the GCC nations, as well as Yemen and Iraq⁹—amounting to £485 billion in 2024¹⁰. UK investors from a range of sectors also have a long history of investing in the Gulf. In this deal we have agreed comprehensive levels of protections for UK and GCC investors and their investments, ensuring they will receive fair and non- discriminatory treatment that will give investors the confidence to make long-term investment decisions. It will also provide transparent, independent legal recourse to resolve disputes if treaty obligations are breached. This will help to ensure that projects in both regions have the certainty they need to succeed.

Within this FTA, we have also agreed a package of commitments on environment, labour, women’s economic empowerment, and animal welfare that go further than anything the GCC has agreed before in an FTA, opening new avenues for collaboration on shared priorities. These include commitments to address barriers that are specific to women in trade, as well as upholding the labour standards that underpin fair competition for businesses on both sides.

The UK will continue to work closely with our Gulf partners—across trade, investment, defence and security and to build prosperity across all our nations. We will now go through the steps to prepare this treaty for signature, and I look forward to updating the House further on this agreement in due course.

^1,2https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/uktotaltradeallcountriesseasonallyadjusted

³DBT modelling

⁴DBT modelling

⁵DBT modelling

⁶UNCTAD

⁷Duty estimates are based on GCC import figures from ITC trademap, using 2024 data for all countries except Oman, which uses 2023 data. Duties are calculated using the GCC common external tariff and country-specific tariffs as of 2022. For countries where HS6-level data is used (Oman, Qatar and the UAE), the lowest MFN tariff within the HS6 subheading is applied to provide a conservative estimate.

⁸Estimates based on GCC import figures from ITC trademap, using 2024 data for all countries except Oman, which uses 2023 data.

⁹Yemen and Iraq are not a part of this FTA.

¹⁰https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/10geographicalbreakdownoftheukinternationalinvestmentpositionthepinkbook2016 Gulf Arabian in this instance refers to GCC members states, in addition to Yemen and Iraq. Due to data limitations, it is not possible to calculate the value of GCC assets in the UK collectively.

[HCWS52]

Covid-19 Inquiry Response Costs

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Nick Thomas-Symonds)]

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The Government are fully committed to supporting the work of the Covid-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the covid-19 pandemic to ensure that the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.

The Government recognise the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.

The independent UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the inquiry’s work—and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant Departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures, and different Departments organise their response teams in different ways, according to business need. As such, these are not precise figures for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the inquiry requires significant input from a number of key Government Departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full-time resource within Departments, inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. These costs, including costs associated with staff taking time to provide written or oral evidence, are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of staff and costs

The Government’s response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is led by inquiry response units across Departments. These associated staff costs for Q3 2025-26 are below, and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-2.

Q3 number of UK Covid-19 Inquiry response unit staff: 167 full time equivalents

Q3 cost of UK Covid-19 Inquiry response unit staff: £3,486,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Financial year 2025-26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3), total cost of UK Covid-19 Inquiry response unit staff: £12,800,000 (including contingent labour costs, and retrospective adjustments for Q1-2)

Transport Taxation

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)]

The Government are confirming action to support households and businesses with their fuel costs, in response to the conflict in the middle east.

Middle east context and existing Government action

A rapid de-escalation in the middle east remains the best way to bring down fuel prices, where the most impactful step is to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The UK Government are playing a leading role in the international effort to get shipping flowing freely.

Alongside this key step, the Government’s priorities will continue to be helping families with the cost of living, including through protecting the public finances to support the Bank of England with its role in keeping inflation as low as possible.

The Government have already taken action to bear down on prices at the pump. In November, the Government extended the 5p per litre cut in fuel duty for a further five months and ensured that fuel duty will not increase in line with inflation this year. The Government’s fuel finder scheme is delivering real benefits at the pump, with a growing number of apps and websites making near-live fuel prices available to drivers right across the UK. The CMA has stepped up its monitoring of petrol and diesel prices, recently publishing its first enhanced monitoring report on the impact of the conflict, with plans to report further in the coming week.

Petrol and diesel are currently 11p per litre cheaper than under plans inherited from the previous Government, and fuel duty has not been lower than it is now at any point in over 16 years. However, some fuels have been more impacted than others by this conflict, with jet fuel, diesel and heating oil prices increasing more than petrol. The Government also recognise the pressures being faced by drivers and other fuel users.

Going further to support motorists and other fuel users

Today, the Government are announcing a package worth over £400 million, which combines broad support for motorists with targeted support for sectors most exposed to and affected by higher fuel prices.

Fuel duty: 5p cut extension until end of 2026 to support motorists

The Government will not add to the cost of fuel while this war goes on, so there will be no rise this year. The temporary 5p per litre cut, which was introduced in 2022 and remains in place now, will be extended until the end of the year, providing certainty to motorists. This will save the average motorist over £120 compared to plans inherited from the previous Government, with hauliers and van drivers seeing greater savings. The proportionate percentage cut for rebated fuels, which includes red diesel, will also be extended.

This support for motorists builds on help for more families to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster for good, through the over 110,000 electric car grants the Government have made in the last year to help people to switch to EVs. The Government have also worked to bring the cost down and convenience up to make electric driving work for more people, enabling motorists to save with every mile they drive, irrespective of the Iran conflict’s uncertain path. This change to fuel duty will ease the pressure on those not yet ready or able to make the switch.

Fuel duty: additional support for red diesel users

To support farmers, who face substantially increased costs on fertiliser and fuel, the Government will cut the duty rate on red diesel by over a third per litre from 10.18p to 6.48p, the lowest rate in over 20 years.

This lower rate will take effect from 15 June and remain in place until the end of the year, supporting the agricultural sector in the fuel-intensive harvest period through to the end of the year, and will also help other users of red diesel too, such as maritime, commercial fishing and rail freight.

HGV VED holiday: support for haulage

In recognising the key role the road haulage sector plays in transporting goods across the UK and their disproportionate exposure to fuel costs, the Government are introducing a 12-month holiday from vehicle excise duty for the majority of heavy goods vehicles, which will save a typical HGV £600 on top of savings from fuel duty. Fuel costs make up a substantial proportion of HGV operating costs, and this action will help prevent cost pressures from the Iran conflict spreading across the economy.

The Government will bring forward legislation to enact these changes.

Today’s announcement is one part of support for households and businesses. The Government will consider further action if price levels increase significantly. More broadly, the Government will continue to monitor the situation and make the necessary decisions to help protect consumers from price increases from the Iran war.

[HCWS49]

Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations: Annual Reports and Accounts 2

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)]

I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the Council of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations annual report and accounts 2023-24 and 2024-25, in accordance with the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations Regulations 2014.

Attachments can be viewed online at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-05-20/HCWS48.

[HCWS48]

Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Review

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

I am today updating the House on the Environment Agency’s review of the statutory flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England.

The current strategy, published in 2020, sets the long-term direction for managing flood and coastal erosion risk. Since then, our understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk has developed, which includes increasing recognition of the risk of surface water flooding.

This Government have also delivered significant changes to strengthen our national resilience to flood and coastal erosion risks. These include major changes to flood and coastal erosion funding rules to make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places; the publication of the water White Paper, which sets out once-in-a-generation reforms that will transform the water system; and the UK resilience action plan, which sets priorities to strengthen resilience across society.

It is important that the updated strategy reflects the Government policy priorities to ensure that delivery is aligned with Government objectives. It must deliver and enable real improvements in protection and resilience for people and communities at risk of flooding and coastal erosion. I have, therefore, written to the chair of the Environment Agency, as the statutory body responsible for the strategy, to set out the Government priorities for the review. I have asked that the strategy should:

Recognise that deprived communities are more likely to face flood risk and coastal erosion, as well as face bigger challenges in recovery;

Reflect the latest evidence and learning on approaches to engaging the public in taking action to improve community resilience to flooding and coastal change as well as reflect best practice from community-voluntary groups in flood preparedness;

Reflect the ongoing work of the floods resilience taskforce to improve communications and co-ordination around flood preparedness and response;

Implement the Government’s updated flood funding policy to deliver a broad range of projects, including rebalancing investment towards capital and routine maintenance, repair and refurbishment, natural flood management and property level measures, and focusing investment decisions around value for money, continuing to seek partnership funding to make every pound of taxpayer funding go further;

Aim to define what good flood and coastal resilience looks like by setting out long-term strategic objectives and shorter-term measures, which should include exploring how a measure of national flood resilience could be developed over the longer term;

Provide strategic direction in support of lead local flood authorities to manage surface water flood risk including local skills and capability building, and supporting greater take up of surface water flood risk projects;

Align with latest Government policy on matters relating to water and English devolution such as the published water White Paper and the Government commitment to reorganising local government and supporting mayoral combined authorities, in particular taking into consideration the proposals for regional water planning to improve joined-up local decision making and delivery;

Reflect and showcase the learning and successes of long-term, place-based, integrated planning—such as “Thames Estuary 2100” and “Humber Estuary 2100”—with a view to embedding these approaches where they support Government priorities, notably growth, and deliver multiple benefits for flood, water and other outcomes;

Actively support the recommendations from the flood-ready review to encourage greater take-up of property flood resilience;

Consider the right long-term approaches to manage rural flood resilience, including a more sustainable approach to asset management;

Support the updating and implementation of shoreline management plans to inform investment and planning decisions over the long term, including the mainstreaming of innovative measures to adapt to coastal erosion;

Identify improvements to flood and coastal risk modelling and mapping, including sharing of flood depth information, to inform policymakers and practitioners in risk management authorities;

Explore ways to better assess the wider impacts of flood events on people, businesses, infrastructure and agriculture.

The Environment Agency will continue to engage with flood risk management authorities, local partners and stakeholders as the review progresses. I will ensure the House is kept informed at appropriate stages, including following public consultation on the updated strategy.

This work will help to ensure that the strategy continues to provide clear and effective direction for managing flood and coastal erosion risk, supporting communities, and preparing the country for the challenges ahead in a changing climate.

[HCWS46]

Telecoms Fraud Charter

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Security (Dan Jarvis)]

My noble Friend the Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) has today made the following written ministerial statement:

The telecoms fraud charter was signed on 5 November 2025 by the six major UK mobile networks and 13 business-to-business telecoms companies.

This statement provides a six-month progress update on delivery of the telecoms fraud charter, launched to strengthen the telecoms sector’s role in preventing fraud, protecting consumers and businesses, and supporting law enforcement. As set out in the fraud strategy, the Home Office has committed to report to Parliament on delivery of the charter every six months until the end of 2027.

Commitments made under the charter are on track. Several workstreams are now established and operational, demonstrating strong collective ambition to disrupt fraud at scale.

Progress is being led through two complementary groups:



The Communications Crime Strategy Group, covering the UK’s mobile network operators; and

Comms Council UK, representing the business-to-business telecoms sector.

Communications Crime Strategy Group—mobile networks

Data sharing

Cross sector workshops are under way, focusing on progressing new data sharing pilots, including opportunities involving voice data. By November 2026, we expect to see cross-sector data sharing models to be finalised and wider information sharing practices in place.

Voice fraud

An industry workstream has been established, with activity on traceback progressing, as well as planned engagement with Ofcom and cross-sector partners to improve alignment.

SMS fraud

Following a Home Office workshop, activity is progressing across the SMS workstream, with planned engagement with tech platforms on emerging messaging services such as RCS. By November 2026, we expect to see strengthened sender verification and onboarding processes across the major UK networks, with established sector-wide standards for secure messaging.

Artificial intelligence

An AI-focused industry group has been established, mapping current use across networks and developing a shared view of future risks and opportunities. By November 2026, ethical principles on AI are to be agreed and published, along with an operational intelligence sharing framework for AI-related threats.

“Stop! Think Fraud” campaign

CCSG working group is in place, with ongoing collaboration to tailor campaign messaging for mobile-specific threats and consumer behaviours.

Staff capability and victims

Industry has shared best practice, with work under way to map standards, identify learning needs, and strengthen support for staff and fraud victims. Collaboration with National Trading Standards on this is ongoing.

Collaboration with law enforcement

Strong engagement continues, with active industry groups, a dedicated eSIM working group, CCSG representation in policing forums, and industry participation in the fraud targeting cell.

Comms Council UK

Data sharing and tracing

Promotion of the National Trading Standards data sharing scheme is ongoing, alongside support for development of a traceback scheme and continued engagement with CCSG. By November 2026, findings and recommendations for sector-wide adoption on a traceback solution are to be shared with the Home Office.

Best practice and standards

Guidance for business telecoms providers has been updated and placed on a regular review cycle, with ongoing promotion to members. By November 2026, a new and updated guidance is to be shared with the Home Office.

Awareness, staff and business victims

A fraud information hub has been launched, with support for the “Stop! Think Fraud” campaign and work to improve support and guidance for business victims.

Technology and innovation

Members are sharing how new technologies, including AI-enabled tools, are being used to strengthen fraud detection and prevention.

Conclusion

At the six-month point, the telecoms fraud charter is firmly on track. Industry, Government and law enforcement are now working together through established structures, with clear momentum across all workstreams.

Government welcome the proactive approach shown by both CCSG and CCUK and will continue to work closely with them to ensure delivery over the coming year, building a more resilient telecoms ecosystem and strengthening protection for consumers and businesses alike.

[HCWS47]

Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report

Wednesday 20th May 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Samantha Dixon)]

The Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed deep-rooted weaknesses in the systems designed to keep people safe. The preventable loss of 72 lives remains a profound failure of oversight and accountability which should never have occurred. The bereaved, survivors and local community continue to remind us of the human cost of those failures and of the importance of lasting reform.

This Government accepted the inquiry’s findings and is today publishing the May 2026 Grenfell Tower inquiry progress report, setting out the action taken and the further work under way to deliver a more robust, coherent and accountable building safety system. Since February 2026, we have completed a further nine recommendations, bringing the total of closed recommendations to 21 since February 2025. We remain on track to deliver all recommendations by the end of 2029.

Alongside the May progress update, we are publishing:



A call for evidence on the building professions, trades and occupations;

The college of fire and rescue consultation;

The building control independent panel report and Government response;

The public engagement policy;

An Office for Product Safety and Standards research paper.

The publications alongside this progress report illustrate the continued progress being made towards implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations and wider reforms of social housing and the construction sector. While not all these documents in themselves close a recommendation, they represent important steps in the work needed to do so, and form the foundations to support sustained, system-wide change. They seek to address fragmentation and ensure that those responsible for building and fire safety have the support they need to keep the public safe in their homes.

The Government will also bring forward a remediation Bill, which will drive forward the remediation of unsafe cladding by giving regulators the powers they need to compel the worst blockers to take action, and make those responsible pay towards the cost of fixing the problem they caused.

Call for evidence on the building professions, trades and occupations

Following on from publication of the single construction regulator prospectus in December 2025, we have today launched a call for evidence on the built environment professions, trades and occupations. This goes beyond the specific recommendations in the Grenfell Tower inquiry for fire engineers, fire risk assessors, principal contractors and architects to tackle the underlying findings of the inquiry. This concluded that the skills, knowledge and experience of all those engaged in the construction industry are critical to making sure our buildings and environments are safe, high quality and high performing.

This call for evidence seeks information about current barriers, opportunities and interdependencies shaping how people work and behave during all stages of the building process. The outcomes of this exercise will help to set the shape and scope of the new overarching strategy for the professions, trades and occupations which will be published in 2027. This will set out a long-term plan for regulatory and non-regulatory reform across Government and the sector, in addition to the delivery of the specific recommendations around professions.

The call for evidence will run for 12 weeks until 12 August 2026.

Building control independent panel report and Government response

The Government have today published the final report of the building control independent panel, alongside our response. The panel was established, under the chairship of Dame Judith Hackitt, following a recommendation of the Grenfell Tower inquiry phase 2 to consider whether building control functions should be performed by those who have a commercial interest in the process; and whether all building control functions should be performed by a national authority.

We welcome the panel’s clear assessment of long-standing challenges in the system, despite the professionalism and commitment of many of those working within it. The report sets out principles for reform, alongside recommendations for action in the near term and options for longer-term reform.

The Government agree with the panel’s assessment and accept the direction of travel it has set out. Our response makes clear that building control must be properly supported as part of a well-functioning wider building safety system, building on reforms already delivered since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

We will now take forward detailed work on the panel’s recommendations at pace, including how reform can be taken forward in a way that strengthens public safety, supports the profession and maintains confidence across the sector. We will set out further detail as this work develops.

College of fire and rescue consultation

We are today publishing a public consultation on the establishment of a new college of fire and rescue. This consultation seeks views on the role, design and delivery of a new centre of excellence to support the capability, professionalism and resilience of the fire and rescue sector.

The consultation marks an important step in delivering the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower inquiry. The inquiry identified serious and systemic weaknesses across the fire and rescue sector, including inconsistent professional standards, variation in training and leadership, and fragmented responsibilities. As the cornerstone of our reform programme, the college will address these challenges and build on the recommendations from the phase 1 report by collecting and curating operational learning and providing a trusted national voice on risk and fire behaviour. The college will therefore play a critical role in raising professional standards and improving outcomes for the fire and rescue workforce.

The consultation sets out proposals for the college’s strategic purpose and the functions it could fulfil, including, but not limited to, leadership and command, recruitment and training, and culture and integrity. It also seeks views on how the college could operate in practice.

This consultation will run for eight weeks, closing on 15 July, and we strongly encourage responses from the public, the fire and rescue sector, other blue light services and any other respondents with an interest in this work. The consultation will be available on gov.uk and will be laid in both Houses.

Public engagement policy

The Grenfell Tower inquiry details significant widespread failings that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Of these failings, and the many individuals and organisations named, seven firms were most significantly criticised for their actions. Sir Michael Moore-Bick found that some of these organisations acted with “systematic dishonesty” and

“engaged in deliberate, sustained strategies to mislead the market.”

The inquiry found that materials were used on Grenfell Tower that firms knew were not fit for purpose, and that safety was deprioritised behind ease and economic gain.

In response to these findings, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has implemented a policy to advise Ministers and senior officials not to share a public platform with any of these firms. The principles of this approach have since been shared across Government.

[HCWS51]