Old Bexley and Sidcup MP and communities secretary James Brokenshire is demanding owners of private residential tower blocks pay to remove dangerous combustible, Grenfell-style cladding.

It comes as councils have been given Government backing to strip hazardous cladding from private residential buildings above 18 metres.

A ban on using combustible cladding on new high-rise homes - as well as schools, care homes and student accommodation - will come into force on December 21.

New regulations drawn up following a lengthy consultation in the wake of the disaster were laid before Parliament on Thursday.

The ban covers all combustible materials on the external walls of new blocks of flats above 18 metres, as well as new hospitals, care homes, boarding school dormitories, student accommodation and Government-built schools above the same height.

Local authorities are now being given backing, including financial support, to carry out emergency work on private residential buildings with unsafe cladding.

They will recover the costs from building owners. This will allow buildings to be made permanently safe without delay.

They will be able to recover the costs from the owners of the buildings, the Government said.

Mr Brokenshire said: "Everyone has a right to feel safe in their homes and I have repeatedly made clear that building owners and developers must replace dangerous ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding. And the costs must not be passed on to leaseholders.

"My message is clear – private building owners must pay for this work now or they should expect to pay more later."

However, the news of the cladding ban wasn't widely received as the London Fire Brigade raised concerns that this decision will only work if implemented as part of other fire safety measures.

Assistant commissioner Dan Daly said: "While we are supportive of a ban on combustible cladding, it’s not enough to make buildings safer.

"Banning cladding won’t make buildings safer unless you ensure that only properly qualified people can make decisions about how buildings are built and maintained.

"For example, you could strip a building of combustible cladding but a building owner can still make other alterations that could be just as dangerous.

"Only properly qualified people should be making decisions about the materials we use and changes we make to our buildings and so Government must move quickly to implement the fundamental changes to building regulations as outlined in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety."

Mr Daly also highlighted the explicit need for fire sprinkler systems in residential tower blocks, saying: "Sprinklers are the only fire safety system that detects a fire, suppresses a fire and raises the alarm.

"They save lives and protect property and they are especially important where there are vulnerable residents who would find it difficult to escape, like those with mobility problems."