UK government urges Mercedes to drop Grenfell supplier sponsorship; the state signals that it could change laws related to advertising.
Heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced a partnership with international firm Kingspan. The company’s logo appears on the Mercedes W12’s nose.
However, Kingspan’s involvement in the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, which claimed the lives of 72 people, is still being scrutinized. Grenfell United, a pressure group, also wrote to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to reconsider his position.
Moreover, Michael Grove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has also stepped into the controversy. He urged Mercedes to look into their position while writing a public letter to Wolff, also posted on his Twitter account.
I have written to @MercedesAMGF1 asking them to reconsider their partnership with cladding firm Kingspan. You can read my letter here 👇 pic.twitter.com/2F7eqmOGql
— Michael Gove (@michaelgove) December 3, 2021
“The Grenfell bereaved, survivors and wider community have been failed in the past by both the state and the private sector,” he wrote. “They are right to feel deeply hurt and aggrieved by your decision to sign this sponsorship deal whilst the public inquiry continues.”
Also read: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s worrying outlook on the championship heading into Saudi Arabia
UK government can take action to prevent such sponsorships
Gove further in his letter claimed that his government could also step in to regulate such sponsorships. While, there are already restrictions on advertisements of tobacco, alcohol and gambling.
“As Secretary of State, the planning controls for outdoor advertising spaces in England are a statutory responsibility that falls to me,” he wrote.
“Currently, broadly speaking, adverts displayed on enclosed land, such as within sports stadia, or those displayed on vehicles, are excluded from direct control of the relevant authorities.”
“My cabinet colleagues and I will keep this system under constant and close review to ensure that the advertising regime remains fit for purpose and reflects the public interest.”
“I am conscious that there are very real questions about whether Parliament would support a statutory regime that enabled a core participant in a public enquiry into how 72 people lost their lives to advertise its products publicly to millions of families across the country.”
“The achievements of Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton in recent years represent a British success story of which we are all proud. I hope you will reconsider this commercial partnership, which threatens to undermine all the good work the company and the sport have done.”
Also read: Sebastian Vettel admits that Michael Schumacher is not his biggest motivator in F1 anymore
