PM picks man to champion the West Midlands

Johnson calls on Black Country-born MP to give region a voice at cabinet level

WOLVERHAMPTON-BORN MP Robert Jenrick has been named the new official “champion” of the Midlands in Boris Johnson’s government.

Mr Jenrick is the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the appointment means that the region continues to have a representative in the Cabinet.

He is also MP for Newark in the East Midlands.

“From growing up in Wolverhampton and Shropshire to proudly representing the people of Newark in Nottinghamshire, the Midlands has made me who I am today,” he said.

“So it’s a huge honour to now champion this incredible region in Cabinet and across government.”

There has been a ‘Ministerial Champion of the Midlands Engine’ in the Cabinet since 2015, starting with Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid, who was Business Secretary at the time.

It has never been a full-time job because it is always been held by a Cabinet Minister with other responsibilities but in theory at least it meant the Midlands had a voice at the highest level of government.

Mr Javid took the title with him when he became Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in 2016. When he b e c am e Home Secretary in 2018, however, the title passed to his successor as Local Government

Secretary, James Brokenshire. But the minister has been demoted from Mr Johnson’s government and Mr Jenrick, who grew up in Ludlow, and attended Wolverhampton Grammar School, has now been handed the job.

He is a solicitor who has worked for law firms in London and Moscow, and held a number of roles at arts business Christie’s, including International Managing Director. Mr Jenrick supported “Remain” in the 2016 EU referendum but supported proposals to leave the EU in recent Commons votes.

The Midlands Engine is the region’s equivalent of the Government’s Northern Powerhouse project, although it has never had the same high profile.

There is a Midlands Engine office in Nottingham and it has a chairman in the form of leading businessman Sir John Peace,

former chairman

Burberry.

It focuses on boosting the economy and improving connections between the East Midlands and the West Midlands.

Among other things, it oversees a £250 million investment fund, providing money to small and medium-sized businesses.

There is also a transport arm, called Midlands Connect, which has drawn up ambitious £2 billion plans to improve the rail network across the region.

Mr Jenrick pledged: “The continued success of the Midlands is not just personal to me, it is absolutely vital to our mission to level up our regions, boost economic growth and ensure that every city and town can benefit from the opportunities Brexit brings.

“One of my first visits as Secretary of State was to Wolverhampton and I now look forward to working with Sir John Peace, as chair of the Midlands Engine Partnership, and everyone who shares my passion for the region and vision for a prosperous future for the whole Midlands at the heart of a thriving United Kingdom.”

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