A Conservative donor has revealed he showed Robert Jenrick a promotional video of a development before the housing secretary overruled officials and approved planning application.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, the billionaire Richard Desmond said the cabinet minister had watched the clip for “three or four minutes” during a Conservative fundraising event at the Savoy hotel, adding: “It’s quite long, so he got the gist.”
Mr Jenrick would later approve the property developer’s plan to build 1,500 homes on the site of the former print works on east London’s Isle of Dogs – a decision which was later reversed after a challenge from Tower Hamlets Council.
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The latest comments come as the housing secretary faces intense pressure to detail his dealings with Mr Desmond before approving the contentious scheme – an issue which will be the subject of an opposition day debate in the Commons on Wednesday.
But Mr Desmond also defended the under-fire cabinet minister, telling the newspaper that after watching the clip Mr Jenrick said: “I’m sorry Richard. I can’t discuss it.”
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2/50 18 June 2020French President Emmanuel Macron gestures about social distancing alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he arrives at Downing Street for a meeting. Macron also visited London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of former French president Charles de Gaulle’s appeal to French people to resist the Nazi occupation during World War II
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1/50 19 June 2020Bianca Walkden during a training session at the National Taekwondo Centre in Manchester
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2/50 18 June 2020French President Emmanuel Macron gestures about social distancing alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he arrives at Downing Street for a meeting. Macron also visited London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of former French president Charles de Gaulle’s appeal to French people to resist the Nazi occupation during World War II
AFP/Getty
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PA
5/50 15 June 2020Queues form at Primark at the Rushden Lakes shopping complex after the government relaxed coronavirus lockdown laws significantly, allowing zoos, safari parks and non-essential shops to open to visitors
Getty
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PA
13/50 7 June 2020The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol
SWNS
14/50 6 June 2020Children pose for their family in front of discarded placards fixed on a wall in Piccadilly Gardens after a Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Manchester. The death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in the custody of Minneapolis police has sparked protests across the United States, as well as demonstrations of solidarity in many countries around the world
Getty
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Getty
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34/50 17 May 2020People on Brighton beach after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown
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35/50 16 May 2020Police lead away Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as protesters gather in breach of lockdown rules in Hyde Park in London after the introduction of measures to bring the country out of lockdown.
PA
36/50 15 May 2020Estonian freelance ballet dancer and choreographer, Eve Mutso performs her daily fitness routine near her home in Glasgow, Scotland
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42/50 9 May 2020Police patrol the beach in Brighton
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43/50 8 May 2020The British Royal Air Force Red Arrows conduct a fly past over the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) in Britain
MOD/Reuters
44/50 7 May 2020Team GB sailor Eilidh McIntyre during a training session at her home in Portsmouth
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45/50 6 May 2020Labour Party leader Keir Starmer listens to Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during PMQs
UK Parliament/AFP/Getty
46/50 5 May 2020The sun appears to explode over the horizon in this montage of images captured by photographer Nick Lucas near his home in Ringwood, Hampshire. Nick took a number of pictures just a few seconds apart on a tripod mounted camera which were then combined to give the eye catching dawn image
Nick Lucas/SWNS
47/50 4 May 2020Leeds Green Watch firefighters observe a minute’s silence outside the fire station in Kirkstall Rd, in memory their colleagues that lost their lives in the line of duty
PA
48/50 3 May 2020Staff at The Berkeley hotel give food to ambulance workers
Reuters
49/50 2 May 2020One of a small group of anti-lockdown protesters speaks to a police officer as they gather outside New Scotland Yard in Victoria, London
AFP via Getty
50/50 1 May 2020Bonnie the Llama grazes in a field in the Scottish Borders alongside a sign supporting the NHS as the UK continues in lockdown
PA
Pressed on the issue in the chamber last week, Mr Jenrick told MPs that he acted in good faith and “within the rules”, as he said he was “inadvertently” seated next to Mr Desmond at the fundraising event earlier this year.
The cabinet minister did not make any mention of watching a promotional video, but said his department were “fully informed” of his attendance at the event, adding: “I discussed with my officials that the applicant had raised the matter. I advised the applicant I was not able to discuss it.”
Speaking on Sunday, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, backed his cabinet colleague, telling the BBC : “Mr Jenrick answered questions for an hour in the House of Commons this week and I think he’s put out a statement about this which is perfectly reasonable.
“He was put on a table with Mr Desmond, he didn’t know that was where he was sitting before, so I think his explanation is entirely reasonable.”
The redevelopment, said to be worth £1 billion, was approved in January by Mr Jenrick against the recommendation of a planning inspector. The decision was reversed after legal action by Tower Hamlets Council and Mr Jenrick admitted what he did was “unlawful by reason of apparent bias”.
Two weeks after the minister stepped in to approve the scheme, Electoral Commission records show that Mr Desmond personally gave £12,000 to the Conservatives.
A spokesperson for Mr Jenrick told The Independent: “Mr Jenrick and the applicants were put on the same table for the dinner, although Mr Jenrick was not aware of this prior to arriving at the venue. The planning application was raised, but Mr Jenrick said it would not be appropriate to discuss this matter or for him to pass comment on it.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk