THE Government will take “every step necessary” to ensure the building industry fixes the problem of dangerous cladding blighting thousands of leaseholders in medium rise blocks, Michael Gove has said.

Four and half years after the Grenfell fire exposed the dangers of cladding, the Housing Secretary said that no leaseholder living in a block above 11 metres would have to pay for fixing dangerous problems.

Billericay and Basildon MP John Baron welcomed the news.

He said: “These are important steps in the right direction, but I continue to believe that leaseholders should not be liable for any costs of remedying fire safety problems that were not their fault, whether these problems are external or internal.

“However, I am encouraged by the Secretary of State’s assurances in Parliament that the Government will work further to protect leaseholders from these costs. The devil is usually in the detail, and I await further developments.”

A cash injection of £27 million will see fire alarms installed in all high-risk buildings, and.

Secretary of State Michael Gove said: “We will take action to end this scandal and protect leaseholders,” he said.

“We will make industry pay to fix all the remaining problems and help to cover range of costs facing leaseholders.”