Robert Jenrick

Robert Edward Jenrick (born 9 January 1982) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government since 2019. He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark since 2014.

The Right Honourable Robert Jenrick MP
Jenrick in 2017
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	James Brokenshire
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
In office 9 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Andrew Jones
Succeeded by	Simon Clarke
Member of Parliament for Newark
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 June 2014
Preceded by	Patrick Mercer
Majority	21,816 (39.8%)
Personal details
Born	(1982-01-09) 9 January 1982 Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Michal Jenrick
Children	3
Education	Wolverhampton Grammar School
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Website	www.robertjenrick.com

From 2015 to 2018, Jenrick was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Employment Minister Esther McVey, Justice Secretaries Michael Gove and Liz Truss, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. He served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury under Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond from January 2018 to July 2019, where he was the youngest male minister in the government of Prime Minister Theresa May. Jenrick was appointed Communities and Housing Secretary by Boris Johnson in July 2019.

Following the spread of coronavirus in the UK, Jenrick announced a system to shield the group most vulnerable to coronavirus. The 'shielding programme' delivered aid packages of food to 1.5 million clinically vulnerable Britons and was described by Jenrick as "the scale of an operation like that has not been seen since the Second World War”.[1]

In April 2020, despite repeatedly urging the public at televised press briefings to stay at home during the COVID-19 lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus in the UK, Jenrick was accused of travelling to a second home[2] and then of travelling to see his parents. Jenrick denied such allegations, reiterating he was travelling to his family home, where his family were before any restrictions on travel were announced. This position was supported by the emeritus director of Public Health England.[3]

In May 2020, Jenrick was involved in controversy as he overruled the Planning Inspectorate and approved a £1 billion luxury housing development for Richard Desmond, a Conservative Party donor. Jenrick’s decision saved Desmond’s company up to £50 million in tax, with the release of documents from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in July 2020 leading to calls for Jenrick’s resignation for his use of a public office for political favours.[4][5] Planning experts for Tower Hamlets council have estimated that Jenrick helped Desmond save an additional £106 million through leniency on affordable housing levels, which could have resulted in a total discount of approximately £150 million.[6]

Early life and education

Jenrick was born in Wolverhampton in 1982. He grew up in Shropshire near the town of Ludlow, as well as in Herefordshire.[7]

Jenrick attended Wolverhampton Grammar School before reading history at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 2003.[8] He was news editor at student newspaper Varsity in 2001.[9] He was Thouron Fellow in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania from 2003–2004. He subsequently studied law, gaining a graduate diploma in law from The College of Law in 2005 and completing a legal practice course at BPP Law School in 2006.

Law and business career

Jenrick qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and practised corporate law with Skadden Arps and Sullivan & Cromwell in London and Moscow. Immediately prior to being elected to parliament in 2014 Jenrick was a Director of Christie's, the auction house.[10]

Political career

At the general election of 2010, Jenrick contested Newcastle-under-Lyme for the Conservative Party, but lost to the incumbent Paul Farrelly of the Labour Party by 1,582 votes, although he did achieve one of the largest swings to the Conservatives at 9.4%.[11]

In November 2013, Jenrick was selected to contest the parliamentary constituency of Newark, where the sitting member Patrick Mercer had resigned following a cash for lobbying scandal.[10] At a by-election held on 5 June 2014, he retained the seat with a reduced majority of 7,403.[12] Jenrick became the first Conservative candidate to win a by-election in government since William Hague in Richmond in 1989 and achieved the strongest peacetime by-election result for the Conservative Party in government for over 40 years.

During the campaign, Jenrick was attacked by UKIP's candidate, Roger Helmer, for owning several properties. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, defended Jenrick, insisting that being self-made and successful was nothing to be ashamed of.[13]

In February 2016, Channel 4 News alleged overspending in Jenrick's 2014 by-election victory.[14] Jenrick said he was confident his election expenses had been compiled in compliance with the law.[15] Nottinghamshire Police took no action as too much time had passed since the alleged offence.[15] In March 2017, the Electoral Commission released a report on their investigation into spending allegations at a number of elections. They concluded that the Conservative Party had contravened the spending rules three times (the 2014 Newark by-election being one of those times) and committed offences twice, and accordingly fined the party £70,000.[16][17]

Early parliamentary career

Shortly after his election in 2014, Jenrick was elected to the Health and Social Care Select Committee.

In February 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey.

Jenrick was re-elected in the 2015 general election with a majority of 18,474, or 57% of the vote, the largest majority in the history of the constituency and the largest swing of any Conservative MP in that election.

In May 2015, he was appointed PPS to the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, and continued to fulfil the role under Gove's successor, Liz Truss from July 2016.

Following the 2017 general election, he was appointed PPS to the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd.

In July 2017, he was elected by fellow MPs to be their representative on the Board of the Conservative Party.

He was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Theresa May in her reshuffle of January 2018. He was the youngest minister in the government.

Policy interests

Jenrick was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[18] However, he was one of 188 MPs to vote to leave the EU as planned on 29 March 2019, without a deal, voting against the government motion to extend the Article 50 process. Jenrick has been Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Trade & Investment and Vice Chairman of the Groups on China and France.

As Chairman of the APPG for the Prevention of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, he along with Home Secretary Amber Rudd met Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist who was in 2018 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, to discuss how the UK could help with the reconstruction of Yazidi areas.[19]

Jenrick is a member of the Parliamentary Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) group.[20][21] In June 2019, he represented the government at the Israel-Palestine peace initiative, led by Jared Kushner.[22]

In July 2019, he said: "I want tackling antisemitism and ensuring that the Jewish community feels protected and respected to be one of my priorities as secretary of state", adding about his visit to Auschwitz concentration camp, "It had a huge impact on me and in particular because my wife is the daughter of Holocaust survivors from modern day Poland and the Ukraine."[23] In September 2019, he said: "I will use my position as Secretary of State to write to all universities and local authorities to insist that they adopt the IHRA definition at the earliest opportunity...and use it when considering matters such as disciplinary procedures. Failure to act in this regard is unacceptable."[24] Jenrick has said his connection to the Jewish community forms "a very important and integral part of my life".[23]

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election, Jenrick was appointed as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. He assumed office as Communities Secretary on 24 July 2019 and became the youngest member of Johnson's cabinet.[25]

His response to the national crisis with regard to housing safety following the Grenfell Tower fire was criticised as demonstrating a misunderstanding of the issue. His approach, which was said to include "naming and shaming", was seen by some as lacking robustness and ineffective. Jenrick was criticised as having failed to deliver on promises and take concrete action.[26] There were eight significant fires after Grenfell, including the Bolton Cube. Thousands of affected residents continued to face financial burdens and their lives remained at risk. This stood in contrast to some more effective measures put in place by the Australian Government to keep their citizens safe.[27] In February 2020, in a survey of leaseholders from 117 housing developments by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, a charity that supports leaseholders, 90 per cent of respondents said the government's response to the 'cladding crisis' had been "no help at all".[28]

As Communities Secretary during the coronavirus pandemic, Jenrick announced the creation of a national shielding programme - a service which distributed millions of support parcels to those labelled as clinically extremely vulnerable.[1] Working closely with local authorities and local resilience forums, Jenrick's department also oversaw the local response to the pandemic.

Controversies

Coronavirus lockdown

In April 2020, despite Jenrick repeatedly urging the public at televised press briefings to stay at home during the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, it was claimed on the front page of the Daily Mail, dated 10 April 2020, that he had twice flouted government restrictions after they were announced first by travelling 150 miles from London to a second home in Herefordshire, Eye Manor,[29] where he was now living with his family, and then by travelling 40 miles to see his parents near Ludlow, Shropshire. He was accused of hypocrisy. Sources close to the minister defended the latter trip by saying that he was delivering food and medication, and did not enter the house.

He had previously written an article for the Mail on Sunday arguing that rather than relatives travelling, local communities should help out.[30][31]

Jenrick's primary residence was his townhouse in Central London, where his wife worked and his three children attended school. Senior MPs called for Jenrick to consider his position, given his high-profile role in Downing Street's campaign to keep the British public inside during the outbreak, including the ban on travelling to second homes.[32]

Unlawful approval of Westferry housing development

In May 2020, Jenrick accepted that his approval of a £1 billion luxury housing development on Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs had been unlawful. The 1,500-home development was proposed by Richard Desmond, a Conservative Party donor, former porn publisher and owner of Northern & Shell. The government's planning inspector had previously advised against the scheme, as it delivered an inadequate amount of affordable housing and as the height of the tower would be detrimental to the character of the area.[33] However, Jenrick approved the scheme on 14 January, knowing that an approval by that date would enable Richard Desmond to avoid having to pay a council-imposed infrastructure levy of between £30 and £50 million, which could have been used for funding schools and health clinics.[34][5] Tower Hamlets council pursued legal action against Jenrick, arguing that his decision showed bias towards Desmond. It was also reported that Jenrick helped Desmond save an additional £106m by allowing affordable housing at 21%, instead of enforcing the local and London-wide planning policy requirement of 35%.[35][6]

Jenrick has maintained that although the decision was unlawful, there was no "actual bias".[36] Desmond, whose company had donated to the Conservative Party in 2017,[34] made a further personal donation to the party shortly after the approval was given. Andrew Wood, the leader of the Conservative group on Tower Hamlets Council, resigned because of his concerns over the property deal.[37] The planning decision will now be re-determined by a different government minister. In conceding the move did show "apparent bias", Jenrick effectively blocked the judicial review, which originally prevented documents between his department and the developer from being made public.[38] Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs said: "We may never know what emails and memos the secretary of state received before making his decision and what influence they had, but his reluctance to disclose them speaks volumes".[39]

In June 2020 Desmond told The Sunday Times he had lobbied Jenrick at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner held at the Savoy in November. He said he had showed the minister "three or four minutes" of a promotional video for the Westferry Printworks development on his mobile phone, adding "he got the gist".[40] The controversial interview was followed by a Labour Party opposition day motion debate in the House of Commons on 24 June, which forced Jenrick into releasing all "relevant" documents surrounding his dealings with Desmond, including private text messages between him and the developer that show discussion of the then live planning application beginning the night of the fundraising dinner.[41] One of the emails revealed that MHCLG officials were being pressured by Jenrick to work out how to overrule the government's own planning inspector so he could approve the plans before any increase in the Tower Hamlets council community infrastructure levy (CIL), which Desmond would have had to pay.[35] That the minister did not disclose to his department his potential conflict of interest until a month after his dinner has raised concern.[42]

Holocaust Memorial

Further information: UK Holocaust Memorial

In June 2020, Jenrick was described by Baroness Deech as breaching “the guidance on planning propriety” over his management of a planning application to build a national Holocaust memorial, which she described as controversial. The government department headed by Jenrick took control of the approval process from Westminster Council days after he met the project’s main backers, including Gerald Ronson.[43][44]

Planning application was called in by Jenrick in November – hours before Parliament was dissolved and three months before Westminster Council unanimously rejected the scheme. The application was submitted in 2018 by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, an organisation sponsored by Jenrick’s department, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).[45]

In July 2020, Jenrick faced High Court action brought by the London Parks & Gardens Trust over handling of Holocaust memorial planning application and decision to allow his junior colleague, housing minister Christopher Pincher, to determine the fate of the application. Jenrick's decision stripped Westminster Council of its power to rule on the £102m project – which was to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens - a grade II listed park near the Palace of Westminster, which the trust says is “the last piece of publicly accessible land in central London”.[46] Campaigners are concerned that Christopher Pincher will be unable to decide neutrally on the application, given Jenrick’s close association with the project.

Other relating to planning

In June 2020, Jenrick faced questions over his links to Conservative donor after it emerged that he met an Israeli businessman, Idan Ofer, with an interest in the future of a multibillion-pound project that Jenrick, then exchequer secretary to the Treasury, was overseeing. Ofer stated that the £10,000 donation via Ofer’s Quantum Pacific business was made at the behest of Conservative Friends of Israel, of which Jenrick was a member.[47] Jenrick later said that Ofer was a family friend.[48]

In June 2020, it was reported that Conservative councillors approved a planning application for an extension to Jenrick's townhouse despite officials objecting to the scheme three times over its damaging impact in a conservation area.[49][50]

In July 2020 Jenrick received criticism for granting planning approval to a new 17 storey tower in Notting Hill which had previously been rejected by the council in 2018. The decision was described by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s lead councillor for planning as a "major blow to local residents" and that the development will "cause harm to our unique borough and, in particular, nearby listed buildings and conservation areas." In a letter, Jenrick agreed that the proposals will damage the significance of the area's local heritage, but he argued that the effect on the townscape will be "neutral-to-beneficial"[51]

In July 2020 the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects Alan Jones condemned Jenrick's proposals to extend Permitted Development Rights. In an open letter, he stated that "The extension of this policy is truly disgraceful. There is no evidence that the planning system is to blame for the shortage of housing, and plenty to suggest that leaving local communities powerless in the face of developers seeking short-term returns will lead to poor results." Jones also argued that these proposals contradict the government's own advisors "who had concluded that permitted development had ‘permissioned future slums’ – allowing sub-standard homes to be built with little to no natural light and smaller than budget hotel rooms." Jones instead recommended that changes should be made to taxation and funding systems to incentivise investment in sustainable buildings, whilst also improving minimum space standards. Jones confirmed he will be writing to Jenrick as a matter of urgency and the letter will also be signed by CIOB, RICS and RTPI.[52]

Move of British embassy to Jerusalem

In January 2020, Jenrick spoke at the Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary reception and told the audience that he would "look forward to the day" when Britain's embassy in Israel will be "moved to Jerusalem", adding that "as Housing Secretary I don't like land-banking. I want us to build that embassy".[53] The British government had not indicated it would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the US did in 2018.[54] The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) called on Johnson to sack Jenrick, adding "no minister who openly advocates for law-breaking is fit to serve in Government".[53]

Other

The article about Jenrick on Wikipedia was one of a number edited in May 2015 by computers owned by Parliament in what The Daily Telegraph described as "a deliberate attempt to hide embarrassing information from the electorate".[55]

In April 2020, The Sunday Times revealed that Jenrick had charged taxpayers more than £100,000 for "a third home" in his constituency of Newark, that he appears to use only rarely.[56]

Personal life

Jenrick is married to Michal Berkner, an Israeli-born corporate lawyer. She is 9 years older than Jenrick[57] and is the child of Holocaust survivors.[58] They have three daughters, whom they are bringing up in the Jewish faith.[7][59][24]

Jenrick owns two £2m homes in London, one of which is a £2.5m townhouse less than a mile from the Houses of Parliament. He also owns Eye Manor, a Grade I listed building in Herefordshire which he purchased for £1.1 million in 2009.[29][60] His constituency of Newark is 150 miles (240 km) from his 'family home' in Herefordshire.[61] He rents a £2,000-a-month property in his Newark constituency,[56] which is paid for by the MPs second homes allowance.[62][63]

References

1. Stubley, Peter. "Coronavirus: First food parcels delivered to vulnerable people in self-isolation in government 'shielding' operation". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
2. Edwards, Jim. "The UK Treasury's Robert Jenrick talks to Business Insider about inequality, productivity and GDP growth in the UK". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
3. Tolhurst, Alain. "Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick defends 150-mile trip to family home during coronavirus lockdown". Politics Home. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
4. "Jenrick urged to release documents in planning row". 11 June 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
5. "Government releases documents on Jenrick approval of Desmond project". Financial Times. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
6. "'I followed the rules,' said housing secretary Robert Jenrick — then admitted he didn't". The Times. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
7. "About Robert". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
8. "Newark by-election". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
9. "Varsity" (PDF). 11 May 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
10. "Patrick Mercer lobbying claims: Tories select Newark candidate". Nottingham: BBC News. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
11. "Newcastle-under-Lyme". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
12. "Conservatives see off UKIP challenge to win Newark by-election". BBC News. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
13. Christopher Hope (3 June 2014). "Newark by-election descends into class warfare over candidates fortunes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
14. "Conservatives appear to have overspent on three by-elections". Channel 4 News. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
15. "'Too late' to investigate Newark by-election spending claims". Nottingham: BBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
16. Ed Howker and Guy Basnett (23 March 2017). "The inside story of the Tory election scandal". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
17. "Investigation in respect of the Conservative and Unionist Party campaign spending returns for the 2014 European Parliamentary Election, and 2015 UK Parliamentary General Election, and in respect of the 2014 parliamentary by-elections in Clacton, Newark and Rochester and Strood" (PDF). The Electoral Commission. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
18. Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
19. "Nadia met British Home Secretary Amber Rudd MP and MP Robert Jenrick". Nadia's Initiative.
20. "robert jenrick | Search Results". CFI. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
21. "TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
22. Churcher, Dan (26 June 2019). "MP Robert Jenrick represents the UK Government in President Trump's Israel-Palestine peace initiative". Newark Advertiser. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
23. Rashty, Sandy (26 July 2019). "New communities secretary enjoys pre-Shabbat walkabout in Golders Green". Jewish News. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
24. Harpin, Lee (15 September 2019). "Communities minister Robert Jenrick vows to tackle parts of local Government 'corrupted' by antisemitism". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
25. "Who's who in Boris Johnson's first cabinet". The Guardian.
26. Rowland, Miles (13 February 2020). "MPs call for cladding fund extension". constructionnews.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
27. "Insight - The cladding crisis Down Under: what we can learn from the response to Grenfell in Australia". Inside Housing.
28. George Steer (21 February 2020). "Predatory investors exploit leaseholders' cladding dilemma". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
29. Edwards, Jim. "The UK Treasury's Robert Jenrick talks to Business Insider about inequality, productivity and GDP growth in the UK". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
30. Halliday, Josh (9 April 2020). "Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick visited his parents during Covid-19 lockdown". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
31. Wood, Vincent (9 April 2020). "Housing secretary defends visiting parents' home despite social distancing guidance". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
32. Gardner, Bill (10 April 2020). "Robert Jenrick under pressure to quit as claim that mansion is family home is called 'codswallop'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
33. "Minister accepts Isle of Dogs housing development 'was unlawful'". BBC News. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
34. "Former Tory donor's housing project 'unlawfully approved to avoid £40m hit'". The Guardian. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
35. "Westferry planning row: Jenrick faces questions after document release". BBC News. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
36. "Westferry Printworks: Housing minister Robert Jenrick denies bias". Docklands & East London Advertiser. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
37. "Robert Jenrick urged to release documents in planning row". 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
38. "Robert Jenrick To Face Questions In Parliament Over Approval For Richard Desmond Housing Plan". HuffPost. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
39. "Council forces government to concede illegality in making decision on controversial Westferry Printworks scheme". Tower Hamlets Council. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
40. "Robert Jenrick watched housing promo video on Richard Desmond's phone". The Sunday Times. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
41. "Robert Jenrick to release documents on controversial £1bn property deal approval after pressure". Sky News. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
42. "Documents cast doubt on Robert Jenrick's defence". The Times. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.(subscription required)
43. Das, Shanti (21 June 2020). "Robert Jenrick 'breached planning propriety' over Holocaust memorial site". The Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
44. Harpin, Lee (23 June 2020). "Jenrick accused of breaching planning guidance over Holocaust memorial". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
45. Ing, Will. "Jenrick faces judicial review over Holocaust Memorial call-in". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
46. Harpin, Lee. "Jenrick facing High Court action over handling of Shoah memorial planning application". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
47. Davies, Rob (25 June 2020). "Robert Jenrick faces questions over meeting with Israeli mining heir". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
48. Davies, Rob (27 June 2020). "Robert Jenrick admits Israeli billionaire in donor row is family friend". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
49. Kenber, Billy. "Tories gave Robert Jenrick home renovation the go-ahead". The Times. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
50. Walker, Peter (25 June 2020). "The three housing controversies Robert Jenrick is facing down". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
51. Ing, Will. "Council brands Jenrick's approval of 17-storey Notting Hill tower 'a major blow'". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
52. Hopkins, Elizabeth. "RIBA president tells Jenrick his planning deregulations are 'truly disgraceful'". Building Design. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
53. "PM told to sack minister who called for moving British embassy to Jerusalem". 28 February 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
54. "'I look forward to Britain's Israel embassy moving to Jerusalem,' says Minister Robert Jenrick". 29 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
55. Riley-Smith, Ben (26 May 2015). "Expenses and sex scandal deleted from MPs' Wikipedia pages by computers inside Parliament". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
56. "Robert Jenrick claimed £100,000 expenses for 'third home'". 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
57. Reporter, Billy Kenber, Investigations. "Tories gave Robert Jenrick home renovation the go-ahead" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
58. https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/new-communities-secretary-visits-golders-green-1.486853
59. Harpin, Lee (26 July 2019). "New Communities Secretary visits Golders Green". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
60. Milner, Leah (25 July 2019). "Who is the new housing secretary Robert Jenrick?". Mortgage Strategy. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
61. McGuinness, Alan (10 April 2020). "Coronavirus: Downing Street backs minister who travelled 150 miles to 'family home' during lockdown". Sky News. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
62. Merrifield, Ryan (10 April 2020). "Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick 'breaks lockdown rules twice' by going to 'second home'". Mirror. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
63. Hope, Christopher (9 April 2020). "Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick drives 150 miles to second home during coronavirus lockdown". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Patrick Mercer	Member of Parliament for Newark 2014–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Andrew Jones	Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury 2018–2019	Succeeded by Simon Clarke
Preceded by James Brokenshire	Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 2019–present	Incumbent