Naman Shrestha
In the summer of 2017, 72 residents of the Grenfell Tower in London, England, passed away, while many were left traumatized as the building was engulfed in flames. Despite the best efforts from the firefighters, the fire couldn’t be put out for several hours, leading to deadly damage for many families. Netflix’s ‘Grenfell: Uncovered’ is a documentary film that takes us back to the tragic night and explores all the things that certain companies and officials could have done to avert the fire altogether. One of the individuals scrutinized for the same was Eric Pickles, who is the former Secretary of State for Housing.
Eric Pickles Was Heavily Criticized For a Lack of Action To Prevent the Disaster
When the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy occurred on June 14, 2017, Eric Pickles was not the housing minister. Upon investigating the tragedy and the cause of the fire, it was learned that he was in charge when the building’s renovation was agreed to and done using easily combustible cladding material. During the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in April 2022, Eric gave evidence and shared his experience as Secretary of State for Housing. However, he told the inquiry’s senior counsel to “use your time wisely,” stating, “By all means sir, feel free to ask me as many questions as you like, but could I respectfully remind you that you did promise that we would be away this morning and I have changed my schedules to fit this in.”
Eric found himself in more trouble when he got the death toll of the disaster wrong during the inquiry. After incorrectly saying that 96 people had lost their lives in the incident instead of 72, he later apologized for getting the numbers wrong. On September 4, 2024, the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry held the politician and his government partially responsible for not improving the fire safety regulations back in 2013. Ever since the report was published, the public has been demanding that he resign from his position at the House of Lords and as a government ethics adviser.
Eric Pickles Has Had a Decades-long Political Career
Eric Jack Pickles was born on April 20, 1952, in Keighley, England, to Jack and Constance Pickles. Since he grew up in a labour-supporting household, he was drawn to communism from a young age. After passing out from Greenhead Grammar School, which is now known as Carlton Keighley, he attended Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Beckett University) for higher studies. He has had a rich career in politics, starting from the 1980s. After serving as the Leader of Bradford City Council from 1988 to 1990, he went on to become a Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar for more than two decades, ultimately stepping down in 2017. In between, the British Conservative Party politician also held various other positions, such as Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Chairman of the Conservative Party.
From 2010 to 2015, Eric also served in David Cameron’s Cabinet as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. After that, he took on the role of the Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion for a couple of years. Though he voluntarily chose not to retain his seat in the Parliament during the 2017 general election, Eric assumed a different role in the matters of the government, that of a Special Envoy. He served in that position across the tenures of not one but 4 Prime Ministers — Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. From September 2015 to April 2025, he was deeply committed to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust remain integral in the UK and around the globe. While executing that responsibility as a UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, he collaborated extensively with several survivors, researchers, academic experts, and other organizations that work for the cause.
For a few years, he has been maintaining the role of Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel in the House of Lords. He also served as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments for five years until 2025. Outside of his political journey, Eric also has experience working as a Consultant in Employment Practice. Ahead of his ascension to the post of an MP in 1992, he served as a Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline. Showcasing his devotion to the community, he acts as a trustee of charitable organizations such as Brentwood Foyer and Brentwood Theatre, which work towards the betterment of vulnerable youth and enhancing the artistic and cultural scene of the area, respectively. As for his personal life, all we can tell is that he has been married to Irene Coates since 1976 and lives in the English town of Brentwood.
Read More: Omar Alhaj Ali: Where is the Grenfell Fire Survivor Now?
