Aug

Robert Jenrick pays a heavy political price for his anti-landlord stance

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Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has polled near the bottom of a cabinet league table compiled by the party faithful who have slated his performance in recent months.

In the Conservativehome.com online poll of Tory voters, Jenrick came third from bottom with a paltry 1.3 point rating; only party chair Amanda Milling and education secretary Gavin Williamson fared worst, with a -14.3 and whopping -44.1 point score respectively, while Boris Johnson is only just above him with a 3.4 point score.

In stark contrast, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has a 74.1 rating, while even Home Secretary Priti Patel garnered a 26 point rating.

Landlord worries

Tory voters are no doubt worried about tax and regulation increases for landlords, as well as the eviction ban.

Jenrick has also fared badly across other areas; in May 2020, he was involved in controversy when he overruled the Planning Inspectorate and approved a £1 billion luxury housing development for Conservative Party donor Richard Desmond.

He was also criticised for his response to the national crisis following the Grenfell Tower fire.

High-flyer Jenrick, who won his cabinet post as part of Johnson’s 2019 reshuffle, is the 18^th minister in 21 years in a department which is still seen as a secondary area of importance, where ministers must fight for influence and funding alongside other priorities.

This is evidenced by the quick departure of many former housing secretaries and ministers such as Brandon Lewis (19.2 point rating), Sajid Javid (66.6), Alok Sharma (26.8) and Grant Shapps (17.5) who are better regarded by rank and file now they’re in new jobs.

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