Boris Johnson has ‘full confidence’ in beleaguered housing secretary Robert Jenrick, Downing Street says

Affair calls PM’s judgement into question, says Labour leader Starmer

Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure over his decision to stand by a cabinet minister embroiled in a ”cash for favours” row, with Labour leader Keir Starmer saying the prime minister’s response called his judgement into question.

The comment came as Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said the PM continued to have “full confidence” in housing secretary Robert Jenrick, who is fighting for his job after explosive documents revealed he rushed through a decision on a contentious £1bn housing development involving a Tory donor.

Documents released last night showed that officials in his department said he was “insistent” that the Westferry Printworks project in east London be approved before a new levy added millions to the cost for developer Richard Desmond’s company. Mr Jenrick later accepted that his approval – overturning the decisions of the local council and planning inspector – was unlawful.

The documents also revealed that the pair exchanged texts after meeting at a Conservative Party fundraiser in November, where Mr Desmond, a former media mogul, lobbied the housing secretary over the project.

Starmer said the row had cast doubt over the prime minister’s judgement and called for an investigation by cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, the government’s top civil servant.

But Downing Street insisted that Mr Johnson regarded the case as “closed”.

The PM’s spokesman said Mr Johnson had spoken with Jenrick “in recent days” but refused to reveal whether the pair had discussed the Westferry case, saying only: “No one in No 10 has discussed this appeal with Mr Desmond or the applicant. No 10 had no involvement in the secretary of state’s decision.”

Starmer told the BBC: “I think it has now got to the stage where the prime minister’s judgment is in issue. He says the matter is closed but it is far from closed.

“The latest disclosures show discrepancies. They show that Jenrick initiated conversations. So we need to see the full disclosure. We want straight answers on this.

“I think the public do. They can tell that something’s wrong here. Straight answers, full disclosure, and an investigation by the cabinet secretary.”

Asked if Mr Jenrick should remain in post, Sir Keir said: “Well, let’s have the full disclosure. Let’s have those full answers.

“Let the cabinet secretary look at it. But the idea that the public don’t know there’s something wrong here, I think, is false.”

Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “The housing secretary has set out his account in public and parliament, including publishing the relevant documentation. He has also written to the chair of the select committee outlining the timeline of events and the rationale for the decision.

“As the cabinet secretary wrote, in the light of this account, the prime minister considers this matter closed.”

Mr Jenrick overruled the local authority and the planning inspector to approve the scheme for 1,500 apartments in January.

However he later had to reverse the decision after admitting it was “unlawful” due to “apparent bias”.

Labour claims the move to rubber-stamp the project before Tower Hamlets Council’s community infrastructure levy (CIL) came into force would have saved Mr Desmond’s Northern and Shell company up to £50m.

Business minister Nadhim Zahawi defended his Tory colleague, saying the fresh documents proved there was no overt influence exerted by Mr Desmond.

Challenged on why Tory voters in Doncaster or Ashfield did not have similar kinds of access to government as the billionaire, Mr Zahawi replied: “If people go to a fundraiser in their local area in Doncaster for the Conservative Party they’d be sitting next to MPs and other people in their local authority, and can interact with different parts of the authority.”