Reform UK’s new housing spokesman has been sacked after he made “shameful” comments about the Grenfell Tower fire, Nigel Farage has confirmed.
Simon Dudley had said the deadly 2017 blaze was a "tragedy", but that "everyone dies in the end".
The former executive at Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation added that the pendulum had "swung too far the wrong way" on regulation after the inferno at the west London tower block in which 72 people lost their lives.
Mr Farage confirmed he had been removed from his post after acting "in a pretty hurtful, insulting way to an awful lot of people”.
The Reform UK leader said the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice had “dealt” with Mr Dudley.
He told a press conference on Thursday: “I haven't spoken to him. He's under Richard Tice's department. Richard appointed him housing spokesman, given his depth of experience in developing new towns.
“But the comments were deeply inappropriate. They were, frankly, rather shocking to many people, and Richard has dealt with him.”
Grenfell United, which represents some the bereaved and survivors, branded the remarks "deeply dehumanising".
In a statement, the group said: "Our loved ones did not simply 'die.'
“They were failed. They were trapped in their homes, in a building that should have been safe, in a fire that should never have happened. Reducing their deaths to an inevitability strips away the truth: this was preventable.
"To speak about Grenfell in this way is to erase responsibility. It suggests this was just fate, just 'how it goes,' rather than the result of years of ignored warnings, poor decisions, and a failure to value the lives of residents, and is deeply offensive and ill informed.
"Everyone deserves the right to a safe home. But this attitude clearly shows Simon Dudley is not the man to ensure that happens."
Sir Keir Starmer had also urged the Reform UK leader to sack Mr Dudley.
The Prime Minister on Thursday wrote on X: "Shameful. Nigel Farage should do the decent thing and sack him."
Following Sir Keir's intervention, Mr Dudley said "in no shape or form am I belittling that disaster or the huge loss of life", and apologised "if it was not sufficiently clear".
"Grenfell was an utter tragedy and quite rightly prompted a wholesale review and tightening of fire regulations”, he added.
"I said it was a tragedy in my interview with Inside Housing and in no shape or form am I belittling that disaster or the huge loss of life. It must never happen again. I reiterate that, and am sorry if it was not sufficiently clear."
He continued: "Within the last 24 hours, the Berkeley Group, one of Britain's biggest housebuilders, has paused new land purchases and announced a hiring freeze. They blame 'an unprecedented surge in costs and regulation'.
"These concerns are felt across the industry. The result? The UK's long running housing crisis is getting worse.”
The Grenfell Inquiry found that the 72 deaths were avoidable and had been preceded by "decades of failure" by governments and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
Mr Dudley was appointed as housing spokesman for Reform last month and the party said at the time he would lead an urgent review into "Britain's building crisis" that would set out reforms to planning, housing delivery and national infrastructure.
In an interview with Inside Housing, published on Wednesday, he said building safety regulations introduced after the inferno were an example of "regulation which is not working".
Mr Dudley told the magazine the Grenfell fire was a "tragedy", but said he did not believe the regulatory regime was proportionate.
He went on to say: "Sadly, you know, everyone dies in the end. It's just how you go, right?"
The Building Safety Regulator, which was set up after the fire and is responsible for regulating the safe design, construction and occupation of higher-risk buildings, has faced criticism for delays in its approval processes.
In June last year, the Government announced reforms to tackle delays to building new high-rise homes, including a fast-track process and investment.
He added: "Extracting Grenfell from the statistics, actually people dying in house fires is rare... many, many more people die on the roads driving cars, but we're not making cars illegal, so why are we stopping houses being built?"
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: "These disgraceful comments about those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire are beyond the pale and it is completely untenable for Simon Dudley to continue in his position."
Green Party MP Sian Berry said: "Reform has sunk to a new low and shown a real disrespect to the victims of Grenfell.”
Before it was announced that Mr Dudley has been sacked, a Reform UK spokesman said: "Homes must, of course, be built safely.
"However, overly burdensome building safety regulations can stifle housebuilding, meaning targets are missed and the waiting list for homes grows longer at a time when we need more.
"Simon's comments on Grenfell reflected his broader point that the regulatory pendulum has swung too far in response to the tragedy.
"As he explained, there is a fine balance between overregulation - which can slow the delivery of new homes - and ensuring that more homes are built safely without too much red tape."
