Communities secretary Sajid Javid has revealed that all 181 cladding samples from tower blocks submitted for fire safety tests have failed.
In his latest update to the House of Commons on Monday, Javid said: "So far all the testing of cladding samples have failed – that's 181 out of 181.
"It's obviously disturbing that there are such a large number of buildings with combustible cladding and it's our priority now to make those buildings safe."
The cladding installed on Grenfell Tower is thought to have contributed to the swift spread of the fire, which left at least 80 people dead. The final death toll will not be known until at least the end of the year, police said.
Sajid Javid says all 181 cladding samples from tower blocks which have been submitted have failed fire safety tests… https://t.co/jeiA5u7sRj
The same variety of cladding was also used on the Chalcots Estate in Camden, leading the council to act on the advice of the fire service and evacuate the properties.
“The last thing I wanted to do was move people out,” council leader Georgia Gould told BuzzFeed News on Friday, but the fire experts’ “firm advice was that we had to evacuate the blocks. At that point, we had to move incredibly swiftly."
Last week prime minister Theresa May said she understood that the material that was failing the tests was not compliant with building regulations. As a result of the 100% failure rate, she said local authorities "should not wait for test results" and should instead "get on with the job of fire safety tests" on all at-risk buildings.
However, she warned against blaming anyone in particular while a criminal investigation was ongoing.
Javid also told MPs that the government is still committed to finding temporary accommodation for Grenfell victims by Wednesday this week.
"I've been monitoring the process of rehousing and we will honour that commitment. Every home offered will be appropriate and of good quality," he added.