LONDON — An independent review prompted by one of Britain’s deadliest fires in modern times condemned British construction regulations on Monday as “not fit for purpose,” saying they allowed dangerous latitude for cutting corners in a culture of “doing things cheaply.”

The June 14 fire that consumed Grenfell Tower in West London killed 71 people and raised alarms about gaps in British fire regulations. The flames raced in minutes up the sides of the 24-story building, and in its aftermath similarly flammable exterior cladding was found and removed from many other high-rises around Britain.

The review was conducted by Judith Hackitt, a chemical engineer who heads a manufacturers trade group and previously served as a top health and safety regulator. “I have been shocked by some of the practices I have heard about,” Ms. Hackitt wrote in a preliminary report to Parliament released on Monday, and she called for an overhaul of the regulatory system so it would “hold to account those who try to cut corners.”

Critics, though, noted that previous inquests have issued similar calls for reform without significant changes, arguing that her report failed to examine how the influence of the building industry might have weakened enforcement of existing regulations.