Comment

Cabinet reshuffle: Profile of Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for MCHLG

Robert Jenrick MP was first elected in June 2014 following a by-election for the Newark constituency in Nottinghamshire. He went on to retain the seat at the 2015 General Election, achieving a substantially higher majority, and again at the 2017 General Election.

Name: Robert Edward Jenrick

First elected: 2014

Constituency: Newark

Majority (2017): 18,149

DOB: 09/01/1982

Place of birth: Wolverhampton, West Midlands

Alma mater: St John’s College, Cambridge

Image courtesy of UK Parliament 

There is limited information in the public domain relating to his stance on planning and development and prior to becoming an MP he had no direct experience of local government. In this respect he may be viewed by many observers as something of an unknown quantity in his new role at MHCLG.



Since his election he has held a diverse range of minor governmental appointments in the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Justice and the Home Office before his first major appointment as Exchequer Secretary at The Treasury in January 2018. As part of this role he has been involved in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc initiative and was a co-signatory of the Joint Declaration between Government and local partners published in March 2019. On this basis his appointment may be a positive indication of the new Government’s commitment to this and other growth areas and to regional empowerment in respect of infrastructure delivery.



Jenrick has in the past made a number of public statements on homeownership and has called for policies for getting first-time buyers on the property ladder. These reflect more recent pledges made by Boris Johnson both during his Conservative Party leadership election campaign and in his first days as UK Prime Minister, so it would be reasonable to assume that these will become key departmental priorities. The new Secretary of State also has a history of supporting and voting in favour of large scale infrastructure projects and believes them to be a major driver of economic growth, particularly in the Midlands and the North.



That said, Robert Jenrick has also spoken in the past about the need to protect the Green Belt and as such his approach to delivering large scale housing numbers (including in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc) will be scrutinised closely by local councils, civic and environmental groups and the development sector alike.

For more information please contact Jack Boyce or Phil Brogan.

26 July 2019