The King’s Speech has confirmed that the Government will bring forward a bill to require the removal of unsafe cladding in England, with hard deadlines, criminal sanctions, and new powers to pursue those who try to avoid responsibility.
The background briefing to the King’s Speech confirms that the bill will introduce fixed timeframes for remediation, backed by criminal sanctions. The Government’s Remediation Acceleration Plan, published in July 2025, indicated two key target dates
– End of 2029 – all buildings 18 metres and above must have unsafe cladding removed.
– End of 2031 – the same requirement will apply to buildings between 11 and 18 metres.
These dates have not yet been confirmed in the bill itself and may change as the legislation progresses through Parliament, but they provide a strong indication of the Government’s intended direction.
Missing these deadlines without reasonable excuse will carry severe penalties, including unlimited fines and potential imprisonment. It will also become a criminal offence to obstruct remediation work.
The bill will introduce a remediation backstop: if a freeholder or landlord refuses to act, Homes England or the local authority will be able to step in, carry out the work themselves, and recover the costs from the defaulting parties – including through enforced sale of the building.
In addition, a new Remediation Enforcement Unit within the Building Safety Regulator will monitor progress on all affected buildings.