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Labour’s motion calling for the government to establish a new cladding taskforce that would make buildings with dangerous materials safe and protect leaseholders from the costs has been passed through parliament today, following a lengthly debate.
After a four-hour session, Labour’s motion, which called for immediate upfront funding to remove cladding and implement laws to protect leaseholders from bearing costs for remedial work, received 263 votes of support and 0 votes against.
The lack of votes against was due to all 363 Conservative MPs abstaining. This came despite a number of them speaking in support of protecting leaseholders from the high remediation bills during the debate.
The Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru all backed the motion.
To try and push through the changes, Labour used an opposition-day debate in the hope that some Conservative MPs may rebel against the whip and support its demands. However, an opposition debate is not legally binding. It is usually used more to raise issues and rarely results in the government adopting legislation, even if it is passed.
Earlier in the debate, housing minister Christopher Pincher said the government is working on its own financial solution to fix the cladding scandal and would be announcing more details on this shortly.
Government advisor Michael Wade has designed a loan system, where long-term loans will be provided to the companies which own affected buildings, which would then be repaid by leaseholders through their service charges. The government is yet to formally commit to this proposal.
The full list of demands put forward as part of Labour’s motion put forward this afternoon were:
The debate saw 63 MPs from across the political spectrum, including Labour and Conservative MPs, recount stories of constituents facing hardship as a result of the cladding scandal.
Labour had hoped that some Conservative MPs may have rebelled and supported their motion. This included the 34 Conservative MPs who had put their support behind the McPartland–Smith amendment, which aims to force the government to amend the Fire Safety Bill so that leaseholders are protected from the costs of fixing historic fire safety issues.
However, both Stephen McPartland and Royston Smith, the MPs who launched the amendment, criticised the move by Labour today. They claimed the party had “played politics” and should have pledged support to their amendment instead.
However, Labour figures, including shadow housing secretary Thangam Debonnaire, have said on social media that the party will back the McPartland–Smith amendment. Labour will also submit its own amendment which, it said, will go further to protect leaseholders.
The bill does not yet have a date for a return to the house but will be held under the ‘English Votes for English Laws’ rule, which means a rebellion of 73 Conservative MPs will be necessary to defeat the government. However, a further amendment may be possible to the Building Safety Bill, when the margin for defeat will be just 40.
Closing the debate today, Eddie Hughes, who has only recently been appointed as the rough sleeping and housing secretary, said the government has taken concrete steps to hold those to account as well as fix problems as quickly as it could.
He added: “There is consensus across the house that [leaseholders being forced to pay for remediation work] is completely unacceptable.
“That is why the government has been accelerating work on a long-term solution to this problem. We’re working at pace to develop a financial solution to protect leaseholders from unaffordable costs.
“The secretary of state will be making an announcement on this important work at the earliest opportunity.”
A spokesperson for the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign group said: “It was encouraging to hear that so many MPs from all political parties understand the awful circumstances in which so many of us are living. We thank all of those who spoke and call on them to remember their comments and vote with their conscience to protect us and all of their constituents when future amendments come.
“However, the government’s comments were as disappointing as we have come to expect. We have heard the same empty words for years and it is well past time for action. To be clear – leaseholders refuse to pay for the multiple failings of government regulation and the building industry. The fact that Robert Jenrick could not even be bothered to attend shows, tragically, that this issue still does not have the priority it deserves within government.
“Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak must now listen to the rising level of concern within their own party. If they do not act to protect leaseholders, they will be making a colossal political mistake which will not be forgotten by millions of voters.”
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