Robert Jenrick | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Shadow Lord Chancellor | |
| Assumed office 4 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Preceded by | Edward Argar |
| Minister of State for Immigration | |
| In office 25 October 2022 – 6 December 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Tom Pursglove |
| Succeeded by | Michael Tomlinson (Countering Illegal Migration) Tom Pursglove (Legal Migration and the Border) |
| Minister of State for Health | |
| In office 7 September 2022 – 25 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss |
| Preceded by | Gillian Keegan |
| Succeeded by | Helen Whately |
| Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | |
| In office 24 July 2019 – 15 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Brokenshire |
| Succeeded by | Michael Gove |
| Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 9 January 2018 – 24 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Andrew Jones |
| Succeeded by | Simon Clarke |
| Member of Parliament forNewark | |
| Assumed office 5 June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Mercer |
| Majority | 3,572 (6.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Edward Jenrick (1982-01-09)9 January 1982 (age 43) Wolverhampton,West Midlands, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Michal Berkner |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Wolverhampton Grammar School |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge University of Pennsylvania The College of Law |
| Website | robertjenrick |
Robert Edward Jenrick (born 9 January 1982) is a British politician who has beenShadow Secretary of State for Justice andShadow Lord Chancellor since November 2024.[1] He served in theCabinet asMinister of State for Immigration from 2022 to 2023 in theSunak ministry and asSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government from 2019 to 2021 in thefirst andsecond Johnson ministries. He also served asExchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2018 to 2019 in thesecond May ministry and asMinister of State for Health from September to October 2022 in theTruss ministry. A member of theConservative Party, Jenrick has served as theMember of Parliament forNewark since the2014 by-election.
Born inWolverhampton, Jenrick attendedSt John's College, Cambridge, where he read history, followed by theUniversity of Pennsylvania, where he studiedpolitical science. He then studied law, qualified as a solicitor, and practised corporate law with Skadden Arps and Sullivan & Cromwell inLondon andMoscow.[2][3][4][5][6] He was elected as the MP for Newark atthe 2014 by-election following the resignation of the ConservativePatrick Mercer after a cash-for-lobbying scandal. From 2015 to 2018 Jenrick wasParliamentary Private Secretary toEsther McVey,Michael Gove andLiz Truss, andAmber Rudd. He served asExchequer Secretary to the Treasury underChancellor of the ExchequerPhilip Hammond from 2018 to 2019. In July 2019,Boris Johnson appointed Jenrick to be Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; he held this position until he was dismissed in September 2021.
Jenrick returned to government in September 2022 as Minister of State for Health under Truss and was appointed to a cabinet attending role as Minister of State for Immigration byRishi Sunak the following month. On 6 December 2023 Jenrick resigned from his position as Minister of State for Immigration over "strong disagreements" with the government'sRwanda asylum plan, arguing that it did not go far enough to tackle illegal immigration, and spent the remainder of Sunak's premiership on the backbenches. Following theLabour Party's victory in the2024 general election, Jenrick launched a bid to becomeLeader of the Conservative Party, eventually coming second toKemi Badenoch.
Robert Edward Jenrick was born on 9 January 1982 inWolverhampton.[7] He grew up inShropshire near the town ofLudlow, as well as inHerefordshire.[8] His father was the Finance Director of theEnglish Electric Cooker Company and, later, the Managing Director ofCannon Industries.[9]
Jenrick was privately educated atWolverhampton Grammar School before reading history atSt John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 2003 with aFirst Class Bachelor of Arts degree.[10] He obtained aThouron Award to study political science at theUniversity of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2004. He subsequently studied law, gaining a Graduate Diploma in Law fromThe College of Law in 2005 and completing a legal practice course atBPP Law School in 2006.[11][12]
Jenrick qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and practised corporate law withSkadden Arps andSullivan & Cromwell in London and Moscow.[2][3][4][5] He met his future wife, Michal Berkner, when they both practised at Skadden Arps.[6][13]
Immediately prior to being elected to theHouse of Commons Jenrick was a director ofChristie's, anauction house.[14]
At the2010 general election Jenrick contestedNewcastle-under-Lyme for the Conservatives, but lost to the incumbentLabour Party MPPaul Farrelly by 1,582 votes.[15]
In November 2013 Jenrick was selected to contest the parliamentary constituency by-election forNewark, where the sitting Conservative MP,Patrick Mercer, had resigned following a cash-for-lobbyingscandal.[14] During the campaign Jenrick was criticised by theUK Independence Party's candidate,Roger Helmer, for owning several properties.Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, defended Jenrick, stating that being self-made and successful was nothing to be ashamed of.[16] At the by-election, held on 5 June 2014, he won with a majority of 7,403.[17]
In February 2016Channel 4 News alleged overspending in Jenrick's by-election victory.[18] Jenrick said he was confident his election expenses had been compiled in compliance with the law.[19]Nottinghamshire Police took no action as too much time had passed since the alleged offence.[19] In March 2017 theElectoral Commission released a report on their investigation into spending allegations at a number of elections. They concluded that the Conservative Party had contravened the spending rules three times (including in the 2014 Newark by-election) and committed offences twice, and accordingly fined the party £70,000.[20][21]
Shortly after his election, Jenrick was elected to theHealth and Social Care Select Committee. In February 2015 he was appointedParliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the minister of state for employment at theDepartment for Work and Pensions,Esther McVey. Jenrick was returned at the2015 general election with a majority of 18,474, or 57 per cent of the vote, the largest majority in the history of his constituency of Newark and the largest swing of any Conservative MP in that election.[22] In May 2015 he was appointed PPS to theLord Chancellor andSecretary of State for Justice,Michael Gove, and continued to fulfil the role under Gove's successor,Liz Truss, from July 2016. Jenrick was opposed toBrexit prior to the2016 UK referendum.[23] Jenrick has been Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Trade & Investment and Vice Chairman of the Groups on China and France.
At the snap2017 general election Jenrick was again returned, increasing his vote share to 62.7 per cent while his majority dipped to 18,149.[24] Afterwards he was appointed PPS toHome SecretaryAmber Rudd. As Chairman of the APPG for the Prevention of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, Jenrick, along with Rudd, metNadia Murad, an IraqiYazidi human rights activist who in 2018 was awarded theNobel Peace Prize, to discuss how the UK could help with the reconstruction of Yazidi areas.[25] In July 2017 Jenrick was elected by his fellow-MPs to be their representative on the Board of the Conservative Party. He was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury by Prime MinisterTheresa May in her reshuffle of January 2018. In June 2019 he represented the British Government at theIsrael-Palestine peace initiative, led byJared Kushner.[26]
AfterBoris Johnson became prime minister following the2019 Conservative leadership election, Jenrick was appointedSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 24 July 2019, becoming the youngest member of Johnson's Cabinet.[27]
On 26 July 2019 Jenrick, whose wife and children are Jewish, said, "I want tacklingantisemitism and ensuring that the Jewish community feels protected and respected to be one of my priorities as Secretary of State."[28] In September 2019 he said, "I will use my position as Secretary of State to write to all universities and local authorities to insist that they adopt theIHRA definition at the earliest opportunity... and use it when considering matters such as disciplinary procedures. Failure to act in this regard is unacceptable."[29]
At the2019 general election, Jenrick was again returned, increasing his share of the vote to 63.3 per cent and increasing his majority to 21,816.[30] In January 2020 he spoke at theConservative Friends of Israel parliamentary reception and told the audience that he would "look forward to the day" when Britain's embassy inIsrael will be "moved toJerusalem", adding that "as Housing Secretary I don't likeland-banking. I want us to build that embassy."[31] The government had not indicated it would move its embassy fromTel Aviv to Jerusalem, as theUnited States did in 2018.[32] ThePalestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) called on Johnson to dismiss Jenrick, adding "no minister who openly advocates for law-breaking is fit to serve in Government".[31]
His response to the national crisis with respect to housing safety following theGrenfell Tower fire was criticised as demonstrating a misunderstanding of the issue. His approach, which was said to include "naming and shaming", was seen by some as lacking robustness and ineffective. Jenrick was criticised as having failed to deliver on promises and take concrete action.[33] There were over ten significant, life-threatening fires after Grenfell, including the Bolton Cube fire. Thousands of affected residents continued to face financial burdens and their lives remained at risk. This stood in contrast to the more effective measures put in place by theAustralian Government to keep its citizens safe.[34]
In February 2020, in a survey of leaseholders from 117 housing developments by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, a charity that supports leaseholders, 90 per cent of respondents said the government's response to the "cladding crisis" had been "no help at all".[35] In October 2020 it was estimated that 700,000 people were still living in flats wrapped in flammable materials, and 3.6 million had fire-related defects and faced a wait of 10 years before they could sell their flat or get a new mortgage.[36]
In April 2020The Sunday Times reported Jenrick had charged taxpayers more than £100,000 for "a third home" in his constituency of Newark which he appeared to use only rarely.[37] In November 2020 thePublic Accounts Committee concluded that Jenrick's constituency had been awarded funding by his department as part of a process that was opaque and not impartial.[38]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, after Jenrick repeatedly urged the public at televised press briefings to stay at home during the government-imposed lockdown to curb the spread ofCOVID-19, theDaily Mail claimed on 10 April that he had twice not followed government restrictions after they were announced.[39][40]
The first event was travelling 150 miles from London to a second home inHerefordshire,Eye Manor, where he was now living with his family. Jenrick's primary residence was his townhouse inCentral London, where his wife worked and his three children attended school. Jenrick defended this, reiterating he was travelling to his family home, where his family were before any restrictions on travel were announced.[41]
The second event was travelling 40 miles to see his parents nearShrewsbury inShropshire.[42][43] He defended this, stating his parents had asked him to deliver some essentials, including medicines, and he had not entered the house.[44] This position was supported by the emeritus director ofPublic Health England.[41] Previously, on 22 March 2020, he had written an article forThe Mail on Sunday arguing that rather than relatives travelling, local communities should help out.[45][46]
Senior MPs[who?] called for Jenrick to consider his position, given his high-profile role in Downing Street's campaign to keep the British public inside during the outbreak, including the ban on travelling to second homes.[47] He was accused byAnna Soubry of "selfish arrogance".[48]
In June 2020 Jenrick faced questions over his links to a Conservative donor after it emerged that he met an Israeli businessman,Idan Ofer, with an interest in the future of a multibillion-pound project that Jenrick, then Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, was overseeing. Ofer stated that the £10,000 donation via his Quantum Pacific business was made at the behest ofConservative Friends of Israel, of which Jenrick was a member.[49] Jenrick later said that Ofer was a family friend.[50] The same month, it was reported that Conservative councillors approved a planning application for an extension to Jenrick's townhouse despite officials objecting to the scheme three times over its damaging impact in aconservation area.[51][52]
In March 2019 Jenrick's predecessorJames Brokenshire had decided that a planning application for a new 17-storey tower inNotting Hill which had been rejected three times by theRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea should be referred to him instead of being dealt with by theGreater London Authority.[53] In June 2020, on the advice of a planning inspector, Jenrick granted permission for the tower. The decision was described by Kensington and Chelsea's lead councillor for planning as a "major blow to local residents", as the development would "cause harm to our unique borough and, in particular, nearby listed buildings and conservation areas". In his decision letter Jenrick had agreed that the proposals would damage the significance of the area's local heritage, but he found that the effect on the townscape would be "neutral-to-beneficial"[54] and that "the provision of housing attracts very significant weight".[53]
In July 2020Alan Jones, the president of theRoyal Institute of British Architects, condemned Jenrick's proposals to extendPermitted Development Rights. In an open letter, he stated: "The extension of this policy is truly disgraceful. There is no evidence that the planning system is to blame for the shortage of housing, and plenty to suggest that leaving local communities powerless in the face of developers seeking short-term returns will lead to poor results." Jones also argued that the proposals contradicted the Government's own advisors "who had concluded that permitted development had 'permissioned future slums'– allowing sub-standard homes to be built with little to no natural light and smaller than budget hotel rooms." Jones instead recommended that changes should be made to taxation and funding systems to incentivise investment in sustainable buildings, whilst also improving minimum space standards. He confirmed he would be writing to Jenrick as a matter of urgency and the letter would also be signed byChartered Institute of Building, theRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and theRoyal Town Planning Institute.[55]
In January 2021 Jenrick declined the request ofTim Farron, the MP forWestmorland and Lonsdale for theLiberal Democrats, to call in for review plans forWhitehaven coal mine, the first new deepcoal mine in the UK in 30 years, afterCumbria County Council approved the plan. Farron described the coal mine as a "complete disaster for our children's future" and that "it's utter and rank hypocrisy for this Conservative Government to claim one minute that they care about protecting our environment, and in the next give the green light to a deep coal mine." West Cumbria Mining said it would create 500 jobs and pay into a community fund for 10 years.[56]
In January 2020 Jenrick approved a £1 billion luxury housing development of 1,500 homes on Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs, as a favour toRichard Desmond, a Conservative Party donor, businessman and former pornographer.[57]
Jenrick approved the scheme on 14 January knowing that an approval by that date would enable Desmond to avoid having to pay a council-imposed infrastructure levy of between £30 million and £50 million.[58][59]
A Government planning inspector had advised against permitting the scheme, as it would not deliver enough affordable housing and as the height of the tower would be detrimental to the character of the area.[60] Other civil servants had also advised Jenrick not to approve the scheme.[61]
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council then pursued ajudicial review against Jenrick's decision in theHigh Court, arguing that it had shown bias towards Desmond. It was also reported that Jenrick had helped Desmond to save an additional £106 million by allowing affordable housing at 21 per cent, instead of enforcing the local and London-wide planning policy requirement of 35 per cent.[62][63] This could have resulted in a total discount (and subsequent loss of revenue to the Exchequer) of approximately £150 million.[63]
In May 2020 Jenrick did not contest the judicial review, conceding that his sign-off of the scheme was "unlawful by reason of apparent bias". He also confirmed that his approval had deliberately been issued before the new CIL policy could be adopted. This meant that Jenrick was able to avoid disclosing correspondence relating to the application in open court. His planning permission was quashed by theHigh Court, which ordered that the matter was to be decided by a different minister.[64] Jenrick maintained that although the decision had been "unlawful by reason of apparent bias", there had been no "actual bias".[65] Desmond, whose company had donated to the Conservative Party in 2017,[58] made a further personal donation to the party shortly after the approval was given. Andrew Wood, an independent councillor, had resigned from the Conservative Party over the property deal.[66][67] The planning decision was re-determined by a different Government minister. In conceding the move did show "apparent bias", Jenrick effectively blocked thejudicial review, which originally prevented documents between his department and the developer from being made public.[64]
In June 2020 Desmond toldThe Sunday Times he had lobbied Jenrick at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner held at theSavoy Hotel in November. He said he had shown Jenrick "three or four minutes" of a promotional video for the Westferry Printworks development on his mobile phone, adding "he got the gist".[68]
The interview was followed by aLabour Party opposition day motion debate in theHouse of Commons on 24 June, which forced Jenrick into releasing all "relevant" documents surrounding his dealings with Desmond, including private text messages between him and the developer that show discussion of the then live planning application beginning the night of the fundraising dinner.[69] One of the emails revealed thatMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) officials were being pressured by Jenrick to work out how to overrule the Government's own planning inspector so he could approve the plans before any increase in the Tower Hamlets council community infrastructure levy (CIL), which Desmond would have had to pay.[62] That Jenrick did not disclose to his department his potential conflict of interest until a month after his dinner raised concern.[70] The release of the documents led to calls for Jenrick's resignation for his use of a public office for political favours.[59][71] Cabinet SecretaryMark Sedwill said the prime minister (Boris Johnson) "considered the matter closed" following the publication of the documents.[72]
In August 2020, members ofGrenfell United refused an invitation to have a meeting with Jenrick due to the slow progress of enforcing the findings of the first phase of theGrenfell Tower Inquiry, a lack of progress on reforming social housing and his controversy with Desmond.[73]
The project was subsequently refused planning permission in 2021,[74] but was approved in August 2024.[75][76]
In June 2020 Jenrick was described byRuth Deech, Baroness Deech, as breaching "the guidance on planning propriety" over his management of a planning application to build anational Holocaust memorial, which she described as controversial. The MHCLG, Jenrick's department, took control of the approval process fromWestminster Council days after he met the project's main backers, includingGerald Ronson.[77][78] The planning application was called in by Jenrick in November 2019; this was hours before Parliament was dissolved, and three months before Westminster Council unanimously rejected the scheme. The application was submitted in 2018 by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, an organisation sponsored by the MHCLG.[79]
In July 2020 Jenrick faced High Court action brought by theLondon Parks & Gardens Trust over his handling of the Holocaust memorial planning application and decision to allow his junior colleague, housing ministerChristopher Pincher, to determine the fate of the application. Jenrick's decision stripped Westminster City Council of its power to rule on the £102 million project – which was to be built inVictoria Tower Gardens – agrade II listed park near thePalace of Westminster, which the trust said was "the last piece of publicly accessible land in central London".[80]
On 15 September 2021 it was announced that Jenrick had been dismissed as Communities Secretary after Boris Johnsonhad reshuffled his cabinet, and had been succeeded byMichael Gove (Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster).[81]
.jpg)
In September 2022 Jenrick was appointedMinister of State for Health.[82] In October 2022 Jenrick was appointedMinister of State for Immigration, a cabinet attending role, by Prime MinisterRishi Sunak.[83] That same month, Jenrick agreed to visit theHome Office facility inManston, Kent, after the Independent Inspector of BordersDavid Neal said to MPs the situation at the centre was "wretched".[84] In February 2023, Jenrick said in a debate in the House of Commons that the Home Office was "monitoring the activities" ofhuman rights lawyers in the United Kingdom, stating that human rights lawyers "exploit and abuse our laws".[85][86][87]
In March 2023 Jenrick said thatasylum seekers should be housed "in the most basic accommodation possible, including disused army bases and possibly ships, to save money and to dissuade people from coming to the UK."[88] He said in the Commons that, "We must not elevate the wellbeing of illegal migrants above those of the British people". He further stated that "Accommodation for migrants should meet their essential living needs and nothing more. Because we cannot risk becoming a magnet for the millions of people who aredisplaced and seeking better economic prospects."[89][90] Jenrick stated in April 2023 that protests against asylum seekers being housed in hotels, such as those inKnowsley,Liverpool, which sawfar-right demonstrators clash with police, are a "warning to be heeded, not a phenomenon to be managed" by ministers.[91]
In April 2023 the government announced that it had leased a barge to house 500 migrants on its southern coast as part of efforts to reduce the use of costly hotels as temporary accommodation while asylum claims were being processed.[92] Jenrick defended the policy, stating that it was necessary in order "to save the British taxpayer money and to prevent the UK becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe."[92][93] TheBibby Stockholm, which was scheduled to be operational for at least 18 months, was intended to provide basic accommodation and healthcare, catering facilities and round-the-clock security.[94]
Defending the Conservative government'sIllegal Migration Bill in Parliament, Jenrick said in April 2023 thatrefugees crossing theEnglish Channel "cannibalise" communities by importing "different lifestyles and values", which he said undermines "cultural cohesiveness" and that the "nation has a right to preserve itself."[91] He added, "Whilst it's impossible to determine the exact numbers, the basic fact is undeniable that the number of people who are willing and able to reach the UK today is astronomical and vastly outnumbers what we are capable or willing to take as a country."[95] Jenrick said in May 2023 that "The refugee convention ... says that people should seek sanctuary, should seek asylum in the first safe country."[96] TheUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees previously stated in 2021 that "there is no requirement under international law for asylum-seekers to seek protection in the first safe country they reach."[97]
Jenrick was criticised in July 2023 by SirRobert Chote, chairman of the British government's officialStatistics Authority, formisleading parliament regardingmodern slavery.[98] Jenrick incorrectly told the House of Commons that "71 per cent of foreign national offenders in the detained estate, whom we are trying to remove from the country, are claiming to be modern slaves." Chote said that theHome Office's own report on the issue shows that around one fifth of foreign offenders convicted in the UK had been referred for modern slavery support, not the 71 per cent that Jenrick claimed.[98]
In July 2023, it was reported that Jenrick told staff at an asylum reception centre designed forunaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Kent to paint over wall art depicting cartoons and animals such asBaloo fromThe Jungle Book andMickey Mouse in order to provide a less welcoming atmosphere for children.[99][100] TheHome Office later confirmed that the cartoons had been painted over on 5 July.[101][102] Jenrick said the cartoons were painted over as they were not "age appropriate" for teenagers in the asylum centre.[103]
On 6 December 2023 Jenrick resigned from his position over "strong disagreements" with the government's response to problems with theRwanda asylum plan,[104] stating that theSafety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill "does not go far enough".[105][106][107]
At the2024 general election, Jenrick was again returned, with a decreased vote share of 39.2 per cent and a decreased majority of 3,572.[108]
On 25 July 2024 he announced he was running inthe leadership election to be the new Conservative Party leader.[109][110] During the first MPs' ballot he won the most votes, at 28 votes.[111] In the second MPs' ballot Jenrick remained as the frontrunner, winning 33 votes.[112]
In September 2024, Jenrick accused the Labour government of "rank hypocrisy" in relation to the new Prime MinisterKeir Starmer acceptingdonations from members of the public. Later that month, Jenrick was found to have accepted a £75,000 donation from Spott Fitness, a company based in theBritish Virgin Islands.[113] Upon further inspection, the company's accounts revealed it had 'no employees, has never made a profit and has more than £300,000 of debts'.[114] On 30 September 2024, British businessman Phillip Ullmann revealed he had provided the donation through Spott Fitness but did not explain why he did not donate personally, as he has done for several other politicians.[115]
On 9 October 2024, Jenrick came second in the final round of MP voting in the Tory leadership election, therefore making it through to the membership vote which would decide the winner.[116][117] He lost that election, garnering 41,388 votes (43.5 per cent) compared to his opponentKemi Badenoch who won with 53,806 votes (56.5 cent), thus making BadenochLeader of the Conservative Party andLeader of the Opposition.[118][119] Jenrick was subsequently appointed by Badenoch to the post ofShadow Secretary of State for Justice.
Once viewed as acentrist within the Conservative Party, Jenrick has adopted a moreright-wing position, particularly on immigration, since the lead up to his unsuccessful leadership bid of the party, in 2024.[120]
In August 2024 Jenrick stated that the Conservative Party must always be abroad church but needed foundational principles. He set out 10 principles as "a first attempt to outline what our common creed should be." These included that "market economics drive growth" and that "we need a small state that works".[121]
In September 2024 Jenrick indicated that if he were an American citizen then he would supportDonald Trump in the2024 United States presidential election.[122] In February he had already argued that "There are areas we can learn from Donald Trump and theRepublican Party, one of which is illegal migration" during a trip to theMexico-United States border.[123] In February 2025 Jenrick condemned Trump's handling of hismeeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that Sir Winston Churchill "would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen".[124]
Jenrick has publicly criticised theLabour government's policy of introducingVAT charges on tuition fees forprivate schools and said he would reverse the policy if he became prime minister.[125] He is also a supporter ofgrammar schools, and said in September 2024 that he would support lifting the legal ban on the opening of new grammar schools.[125]
In September 2024, Jenrick called for the UK to withdraw from theEuropean Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and argued that doing so was necessary to remove asylum seekers more quickly.[126]
In October 2024, while standing to be leader of the Conservative Party, Jenrick suggested that British special forces were "killing rather than capturing terrorists because our lawyers tell us that if they're caught, the European court will set them free". In response,Grant Shapps, a formerDefence Secretary, stated he had found "no evidence" to support Jenrick's claim.[127] Jenrick's comments were also criticised by two of the other leadership contenders,James Cleverly andTom Tugendhat.[127]
Jenrick opposedBrexit and voted Remain during the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[128] However, following the result, he voted in favour of triggeringArticle 50 to begin the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU and said attempts to frustrate initiating theBrexit process were "arrogant and undemocratic".[129]
In April 2024 Jenrick suggested that the UK government'soverseas aid budget should be cut by 50 per cent with the savings used to increase spending on theBritish Armed Forces.[130]
In September 2024 Jenrick announced that he would refuse aid to countries that do not accept individuals whose asylum claims have been denied.[131]
Jenrick is an opponent ofmass immigration and has taken strong stances in favour of radically reducing both legal and illegal immigration and has been described as a "hardliner" on the issue.[132] He has advocated for theHome Office to be broken up into smaller departments, including an immigration department dedicated to border control and the reduction in immigration numbers.[133] He has argued for denying visas to Indian migrants until theIndian government accepts the returns of illegal entrants into the United Kingdom.[134] He has advocated for leaving theEuropean Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), theEuropean Court of Justice (ECJ), establishing a legally-binding cap on the numbers of visas of 10,000 per annum, and re-implementing theRwanda deportation scheme.[135] He has also said that without a firm commitment to leaving the ECHR, the Conservative Party "will die".[136]
Jenrick supports the withdrawal of visas to any country which does not take back refused asylum seekers. In September 2024 he said: "Illegal migration is placing intolerable pressure on our communities and the taxpayer."[137] He has proposed that the nationality, visa and asylum status of people convicted of a criminal offence should be recorded to ensure the UK is not "importing crime", and contends that "Too many of our businesses have become hooked on the drug of imported foreign labour".[138][139] In September 2024, he argued thatEnglishnational identity was being undermined and damaged by mass immigration, multiculturalism, and "woke culture".[140] He wrote in a column for theDaily Mail that "The combination of unprecedented migration, the dismantling of our national culture, non-integrating multiculturalism and the denigration of our identity has presented huge problems".[141]
Defending the Conservative government'sIllegal Migration Bill inParliament, Jenrick said in April 2023 thatrefugees crossing theEnglish Channel "cannibalise" communities by importing "different lifestyles and values", which he said undermines "cultural cohesiveness" and that the "nation has a right to preserve itself,[91] "Whilst it's impossible to determine the exact numbers, the basic fact is undeniable that the number of people who are willing and able to reach the UK today is astronomical and vastly outnumbers what we are capable or willing to take as a country."[95] Jenrick said in May 2023 that "Therefugee convention ... says that people should seek sanctuary, should seek asylum in the first safe country."[96] TheUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees previously stated in 2021 that "there is no requirement under international law for asylum-seekers to seek protection in the first safe country they reach."[97]
Jenrick supports designatingAlbania as a safe country for the purposes ofasylum claims after there was an increase inAlbanian nationals crossing the English channel, describing the country as demonstrably safe. He also described current levels of migration into the United Kingdom as unsustainable, with illegal migration likely to become an issue for many years to come.[142] He has also said that "we must declare countries likeTurkey,Brazil andVietnam safe in law – these are holiday destinations, not war-torn hell-holes."[137]
In the run up to a vote for an amendment to force a national inquiry into rape gangs in January 2025, Jenrick wrote onTwitter: "We have seen millions of people enter the UK in recent years and some of them have backward, frankly medieval attitudes to women [and that the rape gangs scandal] started with the onset of mass migration". TheLiberal Democrats called forKemi Badenoch to remove Jenrick from his frontbench role as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor over what they described as "divisive comments". A spokesman for Badenoch said this was a "distraction from the core issue" of protecting children from sexual abuse by the Liberal Democrats.[143]Deputy Leader of the Liberal DemocratsDaisy Cooper said: "Robert Jenrick's attempt to exploit this appalling scandal for his own political gain is completely shameless. He didn't lift a finger to help the victims when a minister, now he's jumping on the bandwagon and acting like a pound shop [Nigel] Farage." A spokesman for the leader of the Conservative Party wrote: "Robert Jenrick did an excellent job this morning explaining the pressing need for a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal." On 9 January 2025, Jenrick voted for the inquiry whilst all Liberal Democrats abstained.[144][145][146]
On 14 March 2025, at a dinner of the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association, Jenrick said thatHandsworth,Birmingham was "one of the worst-integrated places" he had been to, stating he "didn't see another white face" there. His comments came after filming aGB News segment on litter. He framed his concern as about integration, not race or faith. An extract of his speech was published byThe Guardian in October 2025.[147] His remarks were criticised by local MPs, including former Labour MPKhalid Mahmood and independent MPAyoub Khan, as false, divisive, and ignoring the area's multicultural reality and socio-economic issues.[148] Jenrick later said: "There are numerous parts of our country now where the same story is happening, and at the extreme levels, a lack of integration leads us into a very dark place as a country."[147]
Jenrick is a member of theConservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group.[149] In July 2019, he spoke of his visit toAuschwitz concentration camp, "It had a huge impact on me and in particular because my wife is the daughter of Holocaust survivors from modern dayPoland andUkraine."[28] Jenrick has said his connection to the Jewish community forms "a very important and integral part of my life".[28]
Jenrick has been a consistent defender of the State ofIsrael, including in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah. In October 2023 he denounced the BBC for failing to describeHamas as a terrorist organisation.[150] In December 2023, Jenrick called for Israel to "finish the job" in its war withHamas in Gaza.[151] During the2024 United Kingdom riots, Jenrick said police should have "immediately arrested" protesters shoutingAllahu Akbar (meaning "God is greater [than everything]"), arguing that the phrase was aggressive and intimidating due to its connection withIslamic terrorism. His comments prompted criticism from several Muslim MPs who argued that Jenricklinked all Muslims to extremism.[152]
In late 2023, Jenrick intervened with the Home Office to request that Jordanian-Canadian student Dana Abu Qamar's visa be revoked after she said in an interview withSky News that, in regards to theOctober 7th attack in Israel, "We are really, really full of joy of what happened."[153] On 1 December, the UK government decided to revoke her visa stating that Abu Qamar's presence in the UK was "not conducive to the public good".[153] The European Legal Support Center, which provides legal support for pro-Palestinian activists, criticised the decision in a statement: "For a government minister to personally and arbitrarily intervene to remove a Palestinian student from the country and suppress her speech while her family are being killed in Gaza is truly unconscionable". Jenrick suggested that visitors to the UK would be removed if they incitedantisemitism, adding that there was a "legal process that must be followed properly".[153]
In September 2024, during theConservative Party leadership campaign, he promised to moveBritain's embassy in Tel Aviv toJerusalem and torecognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying that "If theForeign Office or the civil servants don’t want to do it, I will build it myself."[154] He also argued that Israel "cannot be expected to live alongside terrorists, whether that’sHamas orHezbollah", and that he wants the United Kingdom to be "the most welcoming country in the world for Israelis and for the Jewish community."[155][156] In August 2024, he called on the British government to proscribe theIranianIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.[157]
In April 2025, a recording of Jenrick speaking to a student political society the previous month came to light. In it, following remarks aboutNigel Farage'sReform UK party, he stated that:
This raised concerns that he was seeking to move toward a coalition orelectoral alliance between Reform UK and the Conservative Party.[158][159][160] The leaders of both parties had both previously stated that no such deal was on the table.[161]
Later on 25 April 2025, he said onITV'sGood Morning Britain in response to being asked about the earlier comments: “Well look, Kemi Badenoch and I are on exactly the same page. Kemi has been very clear there won’t be a pact with Reform, and I’ve said time and again that I want to put Reform out of business. I want to send Nigel Farage back to retirement."[162]
Jenrick is married to Michal Berkner.[6][13] She is nine years older than Jenrick,[163] and is the grandchild ofHolocaust survivors.[164][165] She is an Israeli-born and US-educated corporate lawyer[6] who practises mainly in London. Together, they have three daughters, whom they are bringing up in the Jewish faith.[8][29][166] One of their children was born in 2013, the year that former prime ministerMargaret Thatcher died, and has the middle name Thatcher in tribute to her.[167]
In 2022, followingRussia's invasion of Ukraine, Jenrick's family took in aUkrainian refugee family.[168] He was the first British MP to do so, but critics[who?] remarked that they were housed in his taxpayer-funded Newark home.[169]
Jenrick owns three homes: two in London, including a £2.5m townhouse less than a mile from the Houses of Parliament, andEye Manor, aGrade I listed building inHerefordshire which he purchased for £1.1 million in 2009.[170][171] Hisconstituency of Newark is 150 miles (240 km) from his family home in Herefordshire.[172] He rents a £2,000-per-month property in his Newark constituency,[37] which is paid for by the MPs' second homes allowance.[173]
In April 2023, Jenrick was disqualified from driving for six months and fined £1,639 after travelling at 68 miles per hour (109 km/h) in a 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit zone on theM1 in August 2022. Jenrick said he accepted the court's decision and that he did not see a variable speed limit which had been applied on the motorway. It was reported that Jenrick had previously been fined £307 and giventhree penalty points in March for exceeding the speed limit on theA40 in west London in August 2021.[174]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNewark 2014–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Health 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Immigration 2022–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Justice 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Shadow Lord Chancellor 2024–present | ||
Johnson cabinets | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Cabinet members | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Also attended meetings | ||
| Departures | ||
| Asylum and immigration 1999–2002 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration, citizenship and counter-terrorism 2002–2005 | ||
| Immigration, citizenship and nationality 2005–2006 | ||
| Borders and immigration 2006–2010 | ||
| Immigration 2010–2023 | ||
| Legal migration and delivery 2023–2024 | ||
| ||
| Ministers |
| | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretaries of state |
| ||||||||
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg)
