Richard Desmond today dragged Sadiq Khan into the Westferry planning row, claiming the London Mayor had offered to ‘fast track’ the controversial £1bn development.
The publisher and property developer said he had discussed plans to build 1,500 homes in East London with Mr Khan during a celebration for the Queen’s Birthday at the Albert Hall in April 2018.
Approval for the scheme was given in January this year by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, who is now facing a parliamentary probe over the decision, despite receiving backing from Boris Johnson.
London mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured) reportedly offered to ‘fast track’ the development of the controversial Westferry development in the London Docklands, according to tycoon Richard Desmond
Mr Desmond (pictured left) claims to have been given this offer by the London mayor during a 2018 meeting for the Queen’s birthday celebrations at the the Royal Albert Hall
Attention has focused on Mr Jenrick’s relationship with Mr Desmond, but now the latter has embroiled Mr Khan in the affair, claiming the idea was discussed in several meetings and via text messages.
Mr Desmond, 68, said: ‘Sadiq told me that if I wanted to look at a denser scheme, as long as I gave him 35% affordable housing he would support it and would fast track it, with no review mechanisms. This is where it all started!’
When approached by MailOnline, Mr Khan said he had no recollection of meeting Mr Desmond at the Queen’s event.
Such is the political fallout over the scheme, that Mr Jenrick is facing calls to resign and a potential investigation to see if he breached the code of conduct for MPs.
He took the decision to approve the development the day before new infrastructure charges came into force which allowed Mr Desmond’s Northern and Shell firm to avoid paying between £30-£50m extra to the local council.
The planning approval for the Westferry development by the Tories is believed to have saved Mr Desmond between £30-£50m in tax payments
Labour has accused the minister of taking the decision following a “glitzy fundraising dinner” with Mr Desmond in November 2019.
However, Mr Desmond said today the project had been started at an earlier social meeting with London’s Mayor.
‘It was Sadiq who approached me when I was with my wife Joy at The Queen’s birthday party at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2018 and said he didn’t think I was fully utilising the Westferry site,’ he declared.
Sources close to the former proprietor of the Daily Express went on to explain that the businessman already had planning permission for his originally planned development at that stage
This approval was given in 2016 by Sir Eddie Lister, now the prime minister’s chief strategic adviser, when he was Mr Johnson’s deputy mayor at City Hall.
Sources said it was Mr Khan’s intervention in 2018 which prompted Mr Desmond to revise his plan and he had numerous meetings with the new mayor’s team, texts between Mr Khan and Mr Desmond and confirmation that the scheme would be approved.
This revised plan was subsequently rejected.
‘Richard had met Sadiq a number of times, including at his office, and he was also Richard’s guest at a table at Buckingham Palace in March 2017 to support the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme’, said the source.
Mr Desmond (pictured left) claims to have met the London mayor several times, including at a 2017 Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme event in Buckingham Palace
‘The site would have delivered affordable homes, much needed housing, over 1,500 jobs over 10 years and put over £800million into the economy.’
Today the Mayor of London distanced himself from the claims.
His spokesman said: ‘The Mayor has no recollection of meeting Richard Desmond at the Albert Hall.
‘The Westferry application went through the early stage of the GLA planning process following all appropriate rules and guidelines, before being taken over by the Secretary of State.
‘The GLA’s public stage one report makes it clear that the application was unacceptable, particularly its lack of affordable housing.’
Mr Desmond met Mr Jenrick in 2019 at a £900-a-plate Tory fundraising dinner where the pair exchanged numbers and kept in touch.
Under pressure from Labour to explain contact with Mr Desmond, the MP this week released a series of documents and text messages related to the planning application.
In a text to Mr Desmond on November 18 after spending time with him at the fund raising event, Mr Jenrick said: ‘Good to spend time with you tonight Richard. See you again soon I hope.’
Mr Desmond replied: ‘Thanks Robert I really appreciate your text Will call your office tomorrow to arrange Very best.’
Mr Desmond (pictured) met Mr Jenrick in 2019 at a £900-a-plate Tory fundraising dinner where the pair exchanged numbers and kept in touch
In a text two days later regarding the development, Mr Desmond said: ‘We appreciate the speed as we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe for nothing!
‘We all want to go with the scheme and the social housing we have proposed and spent a month at the Marxist town hall debating, thanks again, all my best Richard.’
Mr Jenrick replied: ‘As Secretary of State it is important not to give any appearance of being influenced by applicants of cases that I may have a role in or to have predetermined them and so I think it is best that we don’t meet until after the matter has been decided, one way of [sic] another – and I can’t provide any advice to you on that, other than to say that I will receive advice from my officials after the general election assuming I remain in office and will consider it carefully in accordance with the rules and guidance.
‘I hope that is okay and we can meet to discuss other matters soon, hopefully on the 19th. Robert.’
Two weeks after the scheme was approved, records from the Electoral Commission show that Mr Desmond personally gave £12,000 to the Conservatives.
The decision has since been reversed after legal action by Tower Hamlets Council, with the local authority saying the “timing of the decision appeared to show bias” by Mr Jenrick.
Labour have now called for all documents involved in the planning row to be made public.