Boris Johnson says he 'had absolutely nothing to do' with Tory donor Richard Desmond planning row
"I don't know about that particular case or that particular planning decision," says Mr the PM over a growing controversy.
Sunday 14 June 2020 23:00, UK
Boris Johnson had "absolutely nothing to do" with a controversial decision to approve a major property scheme involving a Conservative Party donor.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is currently under pressure over the Westferry Printworks redevelopment scheme in east London, which is being led by former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond's Northern and Shell firm.
The scheme was approved in January by Mr Jenrick against the recommendation of a planning inspector.
The decision has since been reversed after legal action by Tower Hamlets Council, which had voiced concerns over the size of the development when the plans were first submitted in 2018.
In a statement in May, the local authority said the "timing of the decision appeared to show bias" by Mr Jenrick as it was made a day before new infrastructure charges came into force.
This allowed Northern and Shell to avoid paying between £30m and £50m extra to the council.
Two weeks after Mr Jenrick stepped in to approve the housing scheme, Electoral Commission records show that Mr Desmond personally gave £12,000 to the Conservatives.
Labour have called for Mr Jenrick to provide "full transparency" over the Westferry development.
Asked about the controversy on Sunday - including claims Mr Johnson has previously met a lobbyist linked to the project - the prime minister said: "I can assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with that.
"I meet people the whole time.
"I think the most important thing is to recognise that, here in London and across the whole country, we do need to get development going on.
"This is totally irrelevant to that particular case, I don't know about that particular case or that particular planning decision.
"But, across the country, we now need to get development going and we need to make sure that here in London the good developments, good affordable housing, fantastic new homes are not held up by the mayor (Sadiq Khan), frankly, who is putting in some quite challenging targets for social housing that basically make development impossible.
"And that's the issue we face here.
"What I want to see is great new homes going up across the country, and that's what this government is going to do."
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Asked if Mr Jenrick had done the right thing, Mr Johnson replied: "As far as I know of course he did."
Mr Johnson approved an initial development scheme proposed by Mr Desmond on the Westferry Printworks site when he was London mayor in 2016.
This came after Mr Johnson used his powers to take responsibility for the planning application from Tower Hamlets council.
New plans for the site were submitted in 2018 - when Mr Johnson was no longer at City Hall - to add an extra tower with around 1,500 new homes, as well as restaurants, bars and other commercial space.
Unmesh Desai, a Labour member of the London Assembly, has written to Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick to say there is "prima facie" case for a police investigation into the development.
Shadow communities and local government secretary Steve Reed said: "The prime minister's extraordinary insistence that Robert Jenrick 'did the right thing', even though Mr Jenrick has now admitted his decision was unlawful has done even more damage to trust in the planning system.
"The latest revelations expose the murky relationship between No 10, senior government ministers and lobbyists for billionaire property developers - they warrant urgent investigation by the cabinet secretary into any wrongdoing.
"Ministers must not put the planning process up for sale to their wealthy friends. The only disinfectant that can clear the stench around this decision is honesty. Mr Jenrick must immediately publish all correspondence about this case to allow full public scrutiny of what he's been up to."