I believe the motivation is mostly energy saving (climate change), not aesthetics. In france there is also a programme to sponsor adding cladding on all houses, with similar abuse by small unscrupulous firms which install anything and collect the subsidy.
You just contradicted by main point. It was precisely aesthetics that Grenfell Tower was covered in inflammable tiles. Inflammable tiles being used instead of the more expensive ones, to make more money for the commercial companies.
Who previously got the laws diluted to allow the use of inflammable tiles on the outsides of high-rise buildings. They got round the law, by sandwiching the inflammable material between two sheets of aluminum and then getting the sandwich certified as fire retardant.
"Grenfell cladding approved by residents was swapped for cheaper version"
