Boris Johnson is again backing Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick over a “cash for favours” row, saying he has “full confidence” in the minister amid calls from Labour for an “inquiry into his behaviour”.
Mr Jenrick is under increasing pressure after documents revealed the extent of contact between himself and multi-millionaire Tory donor Richard Desmond before the Cabinet minister signed off on the 1,500-home Westferry Printworks scheme in east London.
It revealed he was “insistent” the controversial development scheme was pushed through before a new tax levy came into force which would cost the developer millions of pounds.
The cache of letters and texts released on Wednesday evening showed “chummy” correspondence between Mr Jenrick and former Daily Express owner Mr Desmond, in which the property developer urged the minister to approve a development scheme so that “Marxists” did not get “doe for nothing”.
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