Minister played ‘fast and loose’
Like bricks in a wall, the case is building every day against under-f ire ‘cash for favours’ row Housing Minister Robert Jenrick. Now a whistleblower in his own office casts doubt on his version of events
A HOUSING Department whistleblower has cast fresh doubt on Robert Jenrick’s handling of a Tory donor’s £1billion property development.
Beleaguered Mr Jenrick last week released a cache of documents relating to the Westferry Printworks saga and admitted making mistakes.
Last month, this newspaper revealed the Housing Secretary had been lobbied about the application to build 1,500 flats in London’s Docklands by billionaire tycoon Richard Desmond at a Tory Party fundraiser.
The former owner of the Express later made a £12,000 donation to the Conservative Party and was in text message contact with Mr Jenrick on November 18 last year after swapping numbers at the exclusive dinner.
Mr Jenrick’s decision to give the green light to the Westferry development was challenged in the High Court over the ‘appearance of bias’ and he did not contest the case. He told MPs on Wednesday that he alerted his officials to his relationship with Mr Desmond one month later on December 17, even though he had asked to speed up the project a day after the dinner.
However, The Mail on Sunday has seen an account from one civil servant working on the Westferry application that casts doubt on this version of events.
The official has accused Mr Jenrick of playing ‘fast and loose’ with the case and said the connection to Mr Desmond was not shared with those working directly on it.
The whistleblower wrote: ‘I can confirm that at no point did Mr Jenrick or his Special Advisers alert us to the fundraiser dinner he attended with Mr Desmond or the short conversation he had with him about the application.’
They added that if staff had known, ‘We would have pushed much harder for the decision to be rethought given the conflict of interest.’
‘Mr Jenrick had a far more fast and loose approach to casework.’
But last night, a spokesman for the Housing Department rejected the claims stating: ‘On reappointment, the Secretary of State informed his private office that he had met the applicant at a dinner, and that some texts had been exchanged. As he was clear to the applicant that he couldn’t discuss it, the matter was left there.’ In a separate development, Mr Jenrick last night sought to close down a growing row over his relationship with London-based Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.
In 2019, Mr Jenrick had to recuse himself from a Treasury investment decision over a £2billion loan to North East England mining project Sirius Minerals after meeting with Mr Ofer – whose firm is a direct competitor to the planned fertiliser mine.
It is understood the pair know each other socially, with a spokesman for Mr Ofer saying he could not recall if the mine had come up in conversation, adding: ‘If it did it would have been touched on only briefly.’ And Mr Jenrick denied a Westminster rumour that he had met with Mr Ofer in the United States in 2018.
His spokesman insisted: ‘There was no meeting with Mr Ofer in Florida. When in post as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Jenrick voluntarily recused himself after he was made aware that Mr Ofer had a commercial interest in a competitor.’ Despite weeks of torrid headlines and heated Commons exchanges concerning Mr Jenrick, No10 is continuing to stand by the embattled Minister.
In an interview with the MoS, Boris Johnson insisted Mr Jenrick’s job was safe. He also swerved questions about his own relationship with Mr Desmond after the MoS last week revealed pictures of the pair hugging.
Asked how many times he had met the developer since becoming PM, Mr Johnson replied: ‘I can certainly say that he hasn’t raised the issue with me at all.’ Asked if Mr Desmond had texted him about Westferry, Mr Johnson firmly said: ‘No.’
It is understood Mr Desmond has attended a number of Tory party fundraisers and Downing Street drinks receptions in the last year.
Last night, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities Steve Reed said Mr Jenrick ‘has new and very serious questions to answer’.
He called for Mr Jenrick to return to the Commons and give a ‘full and frank explanation of his behaviour in this sordid affair’.
‘ We need a full explanation of his behaviour in this sordid affair ’