John Lee apologises for Tai Po fire as Hong Kong housing chief prepares to step down

Hong Kong leader John Lee apologised on October 29, 2026, for the Tai Po housing estate fire that killed 168 people last November, according to a Reuters report published by The Straits Times. The apology came as Hong Kong faced questions about how regulators handled residents’ safety concerns during renovation work at the estate.

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho will step down over mismanagement linked to the fire, Hong Kong Free Press reported, citing Lee. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who leads the government’s task force on survivors’ long-term resettlement, will become acting housing minister as Ho leaves. The departure places a senior official within the government’s response to the disaster.

What happened at Wang Fuk Court

Thousands of residents were forced from their homes. The Straits Times reported that about 5,000 people were left homeless, while Hong Kong Free Press put the number displaced at more than 4,600. Their continuing need for housing is why Wong’s resettlement role is part of the government response.

Residents’ warnings and regulatory accountability

Survivors had called for government officials to be held accountable, Hong Kong Free Press reported. They recalled raising concerns about the construction company and the consultancy overseeing the renovation before the fire. Those warnings put officials’ handling of complaints during the works at the centre of the accountability question.

In July, senior counsel Victor Dawes, representing the independent committee investigating the fire, said the government had an ‘unshirkable responsibility’ to carry out its regulatory role and protect residents, according to Hong Kong Free Press. The outlet also quoted the committee’s report as saying relevant civil servants had ignored residents’ legitimate safety concerns and that regulators’ performance fell below what residents and the public could reasonably expect.

The government said the previous week that the committee had submitted its final report to Lee, Hong Kong Free Press reported. The Straits Times said Lee spoke shortly before the judge-led panel’s lengthy report was due to be released. The report passages quoted by Hong Kong Free Press set out criticism of oversight; the government’s full response to those findings was not established at the time of the apology.