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The Government has been accused of breaking a key promise made after the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

MPs have criticised ministers for their failure to deliver on a vow made to social housing tenants in the wake of the fire.

The blaze killed 72 people. A public inquiry is now investigating what caused it.

Six weeks ago ministers marked the one-year anniversary of the fire.

(Image: Getty)

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire said: “It is essential that people living in buildings like Grenfell Tower are not only safe but they feel the state understands their lives and works for them.

“There is no question that their faith in this has been shaken.

“Which is why - as well as strengthening building and fire safety - we’ll be publishing a Social Housing Green Paper by recess.”

However, Parliament is now in recess and the Green Paper has not been published.

The lack of action has sparked fury from a cross-party coalition of dozens of MPs. They have written to Mr Brokenshire to demand answers.

They wrote: “Given the urgent need to address a severe housing crisis, it is our belief that this delay demonstrates an abdication of duty by the government.”

(Image: Getty)

The letter was organised by Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse. It was signed by Labour and Lib Dem MPs as well as Green Party leader Caroline Lucas. The group said it was “deeply concerned” that the Green Paper had yet to surface.

They wrote: “Mr Brokenshire, it was in your Grenfell Tower statement in June that you promised a Social Housing Green Paper would be published ahead of the parliamentary recess.

“You stated it was ‘essential that people living in buildings like Grenfell Tower not only are safe but feel that the state understands their lives and works for them.’

“We couldn’t agree with you more: the voices of Grenfell residents were tragically ignored and it is this government’s duty to ensure the concerns of tenants’ living in unsafe social housing are never ignored again.”

Lib Dem Housing spokesperson Ms Hobhouse said it was “reprehensible” that ministers had “failed to produce” the plan as promised.

She added: “This is a complete abdication of duty by this Government.

“To say social housing, which provides for the most vulnerable in our society, is a government ‘priority’ after refusing to publish the paper on time is frankly insulting to those without a roof over their head.

“The Conservative Government’s actions last week only strengthened accusations that they are deliberately diminishing the social housing stock in this country. In reality, Tory ministers are preventing homes being built for those who need them most.”

On the final day before recess, Labour MP John Healey urged ministers not to let the plans be “dribbled out over the recess”.

In response, Mr Brokenshire told MPs the Green Paper would be “wide-ranging” and promised it would “very firmly” confront the “stigma” of living in social housing.

He said the Tories had “delivered more council housing than in 13 years of a Labour Government” and said the party was “committed to all forms of tenure”.

However, he did not say when the Green Paper would be published.