Mark Allen, Technical Director, Saint-Gobain, who advises the government on building regulations

A boss of a building firm whose company produced the insulation panels on Grenfell Tower in Kensington is a government adviser.

Mark Allen is a technical director for the UK arm of Saint-Gobain, an owner of Celotex, which produced the insulation used in the tower.

He is also a member of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations about industry regulations to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.

The RS5000 insulation panels 'failed all safety tests' when examined by police in the wake of the blaze, prompting Celotex to halt its supply for use in rainscreen cladding on buildings more than 18 metres high.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government's website, Mr Allen would have been appointed to the role for two or three years by the secretary of state.

Its role is to 'advise the secretary of state in England on making building regulations and setting standards for the design and construction of buildings', the website says.

The RS5000 insulation panels 'failed all safety tests' when examined by police in the wake of the blaze at the tower in Kensington

RS5000 was supplied for the £8.6 million refurbishment of Grenfell Tower and was coupled with Reynobond PE cladding, an aluminium-cased rain sheet which is also flammable.

The insulation, according to Celotex's website, has a Class 0 rating under UK building regulations, meaning it has the highest rating for preventing the spread of flames and prevents the spread of heat.

However, its 'health and safety datasheet' notes: 'The products will burn if exposed to a fire of sufficient heat and intensity.'

RS5000 was supplied for the £8.6 million refurbishment of Grenfell Tower and was coupled with flammable Reynobond PE cladding

At least 80 people have died in the Grenfell inferno, which broke out in the middle of the night as people slept.

Hundreds have been left homeless having lost all their possessions, and Kensington and Chelsea Council has been warned it could be taken over by government.

One resident found out she was still paying rent for her flat, despite the devastating fire.

The Government will keep a 'close eye' on Kensington and Chelsea council, Sajid Javid said, as pressure built for the troubled authority to be taken over by commissioners.

The communities secretary's intervention followed resignations by the council leader and deputy leader under intense criticism of how the Grenfell Tower tragedy was handled.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan earlier led calls for commissioners to be drafted in to take over the day-to-day running of affairs in the west London borough.

Mr Javid said: 'It is right the council leader stepped down given the initial response to the Grenfell tragedy.

'The process to select his successor will be independent of government, but we will be keeping a close eye on the situation. If we need to take further action, we won't hesitate to do so.'