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Getting justice for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster will be the first task of Derby North MP Chris Williamson as he takes up his role as Shadow Minister for Fire Services under his close ally and Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Williamson, who previously served in the same role under Labour leader Ed Miliband from 2010 to 2013, is expected to ask Home secretary Amber Rudd why the review into building regulations promised by Gavin Barwell, in the wake of the deadly Lakanal House fire in London in 2009, has failed to appear and whether the then Minister for Housing sat on this review.

He said: “My immediate priority will be justice for Grenfell. This tragedy reminds me of the Hillsborough disaster. But this time people will not wait decades for justice. That’s not right. Part of what justice means is preventing this happening again, and that means reinvesting in our public services and retrofitting sprinkler systems, as a minimum.”

Mr Williamson has campaigned for legislation on sprinkler systems for some time and in his previous capacity as Shadow Fire Minster, Williamson warned in 2013: “Cutbacks in fire and rescue services will load more risks on the general public. I shudder to think to what the consequences of such cuts will be. It will be a matter of life and death – literally."

And in 2011, he said: “It is clear that we should be advocating the installation of sprinklers in all new-build properties as well as older properties to avoid the atrocities we have seen recently.

"Unfortunately, the coalition government are doing nothing to implement any of the recommendations made by the recent Fire Futures review, which could save lives."

Commenting on Mr Williamson’s appointment, party chairman Ian Lavery said: “Chris is a first class MP and a true representative of his constituency. He has a reputation as being no fan of neo-liberalism and his appointment is a sign that the days of free market Thatcherism are coming to an end.”

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His appointment has also been welcomed by Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, who said: “This appointment is exactly what’s needed for our fire services and for our public sector in general. Chris is a tough politician on the issues that matter. He’ll be a minister for ordinary people who want safety, not profit, to be a key driver of public policy. We look forward to working with him.”

Mr Williamson, who was MP for Derby North from 2010 to 2015, when he lost his seat by 41 votes. He was re-elected last month with one of the only gains for Labour in the East Midlands.

Speaking ahead of his new appointment, Mr Williamson said: “It would be a great privilege to be part of the Shadow Cabinet under Jeremy Corbyn, who I have immense respect for.”