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Reuters
Labour is attempting to force Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to publish all documents relating to a controversial planning decision.
Mr Jenrick approved the scheme 12 days before the developer gave £12,000 to the Conservative Party.
Labour says the timing raises “cash for favours” suspicions – but Mr Jenrick insists he did nothing wrong.
Shadow housing secretary Steve Reed is pushing for a Commons vote to force the release of documents.
The Conservatives’ 80 seat majority means Labour is unlikely to win the vote.
But Wednesday’s Commons debate, secured by Labour, will give MPs a further chance to pose questions about the Westferry development.
The row centres around a 1,500 home development at the former Westferry printing works on the Isle of Dogs, in East London.
The developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, personally gave the Conservative Party £12,000 two weeks after the scheme was approved, in January.
Affordable housing
Labour says the timing of the decision to approve the scheme – just a day before a new community infrastructure levy came into force – would have saved Mr Desmond’s Northern and Shell company up to £50m.
It later emerged Mr Jenrick had sat next to Mr Desmond at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner in November 2019.
Labour says Mr Jenrick also overruled his advisers to reduce the amount of affordable housing required in the development, potentially saving Mr Desmond a further £106m.
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PA Media
The planned development is in London’s Docklands area
Mr Jenrick’s decision was challenged by Tower Hamlets Council, forcing the secretary of state to back down and say what he did was “unlawful by reason of apparent bias”.
Councillors asked the High Court to order the government to disclose emails and memos around the deal.
Rather than doing this, Mr Jenrick’s lawyers conceded the timing of his decision “would lead the fair-minded and informed observer to conclude that there was a real possibility” that he had been biased.
Defending his actions in the Commons earlier this month, Mr Jenrick said it was “not unusual” for the secretary of state to reach a different conclusion from councils or planning inspectors on the most “contentious” applications.
‘Unlawful decision’
“I took that decision in good faith, with an open mind, and I am confident all the rules were followed in doing so,” he told MPs.
He told MPs Mr Desmond had tried to raise the scheme with him during the dinner, but that he had told the businessman he could not discuss it.
However, Mr Desmond told The Sunday Times last weekend that he had shown Mr Jenrick a promotional video for the scheme on his mobile phone during the fundraiser at the Savoy Hotel.
Mr Desmond did not respond to BBC requests for a comment.
Labour will use Wednesday’s Commons debate to try to force the government to release all correspondence involving ministers and their special advisers concerning the development.
Mr Reed said: “The secretary of state has admitted he knew his unlawful, biased decision to approve Richard Desmond’s property deal would save the Conservative Party donor up to £150m, but there are still far too many questions left unanswered.”
He added that if Mr Jenrick “has nothing to hide then he has nothing to fear from publishing these documents”.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have written to the UK’s top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, to investigate whether Mr Jenrick broke the ministerial code.
The Cabinet Office said Sir Mark would “respond to the letters in due course” but has denied carrying out a full investigation.
