Grenfell cladding banned in UK: Hammond

Cladding used on Grenfell Tower blamed for spreading the London blaze is banned in Britain, Finance Minister Philip Hammond says.

Hammond said a criminal investigation would examine whether building regulations had been breached when the block was overhauled.

Hammond said the public inquiry set up by the government following the tragedy would also examine if rules had been broken.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "My understanding is the cladding in question, this flammable cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here.

"So there are two separate questions. One, are our regulations correct, do they permit the right kind of materials and ban the wrong kind of materials? The second question is were they correctly complied with?

"That will be a subject that the inquiry will look at. It will also be a subject that the criminal investigation will be looking at."