Hong Kong housing chief Winnie Ho formally removed from office after Tai Po fire resignation

China's central government on November 3 approved the removal of Winnie Ho Wing-yin as Hong Kong's Secretary for Housing. The Hong Kong government announced the same day that the removal was made in accordance with the Basic Law and on the recommendation of Chief Executive John Lee, who said Ho tendered her resignation to him on October 28, indicating she would shoulder political accountability for the Wang Fuk Court fire, and officially leaves office today. (Cover photo is a file photo of the Hong Kong harbour area.)

Accountability for a 168-death fire: inquiry found regulatory failures

The Wang Fuk Court fire broke out in Tai Po on November 26, 2025, spreading through seven high-rise residential blocks undergoing renovation and killing 168 people, the city's deadliest fire since 1948. An independent committee found serious shortcomings in building safety supervision, regulatory enforcement and the handling of complaints about potentially hazardous renovation work; Lee led officials in a bow of apology when the report was released on October 29 and pledged sweeping reforms. Ho was the first senior official to resign over the blaze; the inquiry found no personal wrongdoing on her part, with the resignation framed as political accountability.

Ho's career and the acting arrangement

Ho joined the government in 1992, became Director of Architectural Services in 2020, and was appointed Secretary for Housing in 2022, becoming a principal official of the sixth-term Hong Kong government. Lee commended her dedication to implementing his housing directives and wished her good health and the very best in her future endeavours. The removal announcement named no successor; the Housing Bureau is being run on an acting basis by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who retains his existing post, while a steering committee headed by Chief Secretary Eric Chan oversees the reforms, including legislation to criminalise bid-rigging in construction.