LABOUR says that today must mark a turning point in the cladding scandal, urging MPs to protect leaseholders from the costs of removing dangerous cladding from their homes.

New figures show that up to 4.6 million properties face costs to put unsuitable cladding right, leaving owners unable to sell up and move on.

Since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people in 2017, ministers have promised 15 times to protect leaseholders from the costs of removing flammable cladding from residential buildings. 

But the government has so far undertaken only partial and ineffective audits of dangerous buildings, and is prioritising buildings on a “first come first serve” basis rather than those most at risk.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has set out a series of demands ahead of the crunch vote in the Commons today.

He has called for a new national cladding taskforce, modelled on the successful approach taken in Australia.

He said that this would help get a grip on the deepening crisis by protecting leaseholders from costs of removing cladding. He is urging that those responsible for the cladding scandal are pursued, and wants a legally enforceable deadline of 2022 set to make the homes safe.

On a visit today, Sir Keir is due to tell leaseholders in blocks covered in dangerous cladding in east London: “Today needs to be a turning point for those affected by the cladding scandal.

“Millions of people have been sucked into this crisis due to years of dither, delay and half-baked solutions from the government.

“For many leaseholders, the dream of home ownership has become a nightmare. They feel abandoned, locked down in flammable homes and facing ruinous costs for repair work and interim safety measures.

“I urge Conservative MPs to vote with us in Parliament today and put their constituents’ safety and security first.”