The government has announced a national regulator that will oversee the safety of materials used to build homes following the Grenfell Inquiry.

It says that the regulator will have the power to remove any product form the market “that presents a significant safety risk” and that it will be able to prosecute firms.

The regulator will also be able to conduct its own testing of products where it feels this is necessary.

Additionally, the government says that it has commissioned an independent review to examine “weaknesses in previous testing regimes for construction products”.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick says: “The Grenfell Inquiry has heard deeply disturbing allegations of malpractice by some construction product manufacturers and their employees, and of the weaknesses of the present product testing regime.

“We are establishing a national regulator to address these concerns and a review into testing to ensure our national approach is fit for purpose. We will continue to listen to the evidence emerging in the Inquiry and await the judge’s ultimate recommendation – but it is already clear that action is required now and that is what we are doing.”

And the independent review of building regulations and fire safety chair Dame Judith Hackitt comments: “This is another really important step in delivering the new regulatory system for building safety. The evidence of poor practice and lack of enforcement in the past has been laid bare.

“As the industry itself starts to address its shortcomings I see a real opportunity to make great progress in conjunction with the national regulator.”