Housing secretary Robert Jenrick is to make public unseen documents regarding his controversial approval of the £1bn Westferry Printworks development later today.
Jenrick has come under fire from opposition parties for refusing to share communications with media tycoon Richard Desmond and his company Northern & Shell in the lead up to his approval of the scheme a day before the council implemented new levies that would cost the developer around £40m.
Speaking in the Commons today, following questioning from Labour MPs, Jenrick said: “I will be releasing later today all relevant information relating to this planning matter using the Freedom of Information Act as a benchmark.
“I recognise that there are higher standards of transparency expected in the quasi-judicial planning process, which is why I will also release discussions and correspondence which the government would not normally release.”
He will also disclose his response to the chair of the housing, communities and local government select committee Clive Betts.
He explained this was “because transparency matters, openness matters and settling this matter matters”, adding that he did not want to be the subject of “innuendo and false accusations”.
Betts asked if Jenrick would share all the information that he had sent to cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill following his investigation.
Jenrick responded: “It will include most of that information, but subject only to the benchmark of the Freedom of Information Act. I think that’s the right approach and it’s on the advice of the department that I share that.”
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