British Prime Minister Theresa May has told her Cabinet that "a major national investigation" should take place into the use of cladding panels fitted onto buildings across the country.

Her comments on Tuesday came after tests showed that all samples of building materials submitted so far have failed fire safety tests. The samples came from 95 buildings in 32 areas around England.

The national testing was ordered after flammable cladding was blamed for the rapid spread of the June 14 inferno at west London's Grenfell Tower, which claimed at least 79 lives.

The aluminum composite panels are widely used to help insulate buildings and improve their appearance.