Minister: Good to see you tonight, Richard Tycoon: Robert, we need approval by Jan 15

Jenrick facing storm over explosive new revelations

ROBERT Jenrick rushed through approval of a Tory party donor’s £1billion property deal to save him £45million, explosive messages suggested last night.

The Housing Secretary was forced to hand over damning texts he exchanged with former newspaper tycoon Richard Desmond.

The billionaire pleaded with him to give the project the go-ahead before a Labourrun council brought in a levy that would cost him £45million.

In one text message, Mr Desmond wrote: ‘We appreciate the speed as we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe [sic] for nothing!’

Emails between Mr Jenrick’s officials show the minister was ‘insistent’ that the planning decision be made before the levy came in. Despite the revelations, Boris Johnson last night backed him to remain in his post and insisted he believed the matter was closed.

The Housing Secretary has faced accusations of ‘cash for favours’ since the Daily Mail revealed Mr Desmond had donated £12,000 to the Conservative

Party two weeks after his scheme for 1,500 homes was given the go-ahead.

Mr Jenrick had resisted calls to make public the correspondence relating to his decision. But yesterday he finally agreed to release ‘all relevant information’ – under pressure from Labour in Parliament.

The minister over-ruled Tower Hamlets council and a planning inspector to grant permission for the development in January, two months after he sat next to Mr Desmond at a Tory fundraising dinner.

Mr Jenrick yesterday admitted watching a promotional video about the scheme on Mr Desmond’s mobile phone at the event at the Savoy Hotel but insisted he ‘informed the developer it was not appropriate to discuss the matter’.

However, the two men swapped mobile phone numbers and exchanged a series of messages, including over arrangements for a possible visit to the site.

Mr Jenrick raised the issue in a meeting with his officials a fortnight later – and they later advised him not to approve the development.

In the Commons yesterday, MPs warned there was a ‘stench of sleaze’ around the Housing Secretary’s approval for the plan to redevelop the site in east London.

Mr Jenrick insisted he acted within the rules. Labour’s housing spokesman Steve Reed said the documents confirmed the minister ‘rushed through the decision to help the developer avoid a £30-£50million levy payable to the council’.

‘We appreciate the speed’