Simon Dudley said Grenfell was a “tragedy” and a “failure,” but he also caused backlash by saying, “Sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end. It’s just how you go, right?”

What he said

  • He described Grenfell as an “utter tragedy” and said it prompted a review of fire regulations.
  • In the criticized interview, he also argued that safety regulation had gone too far and suggested there was too much regulation slowing housebuilding.
  • After the backlash, he said he was not belittling the disaster and apologized if he had not been clear enough.

Why it mattered

Families and survivor groups said his remarks were insensitive and dehumanizing, and Reform UK later removed him from the housing spokesperson role.

If you want, I can also give you the exact quote in context or a short timeline of how the controversy unfolded.