Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick
MP
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Assumed office
9 January 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Chancellor Philip Hammond
Preceded by Andrew Jones
Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Home Secretary
In office
28 June 2017 – 9 January 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Home Secretary Amber Rudd
Preceded by David Rutley
Succeeded by Edward Argar
Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Justice Secretary
In office
20 September 2016 – 28 June 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May
Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss
Succeeded by Alan Mak
Member of Parliament
for Newark
Assumed office
5 June 2014
Preceded by Patrick Mercer
Majority 18,474 (35.3%)
Personal details
Born (1982-01-09) 9 January 1982
Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Michal Jenrick
Children 3
Alma mater St John's College, Cambridge
Website www.robertjenrick.com

Robert Edward Jenrick (born 9 January 1982) is an English Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark since 2014. He was made Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on 9 January 2018, before which he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd and Michael Gove as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. He is the youngest Minister in the Government of Prime Minister Theresa May. Jenrick also sits on the Board of the Conservative Party.

Early life and education

Jenrick was born in Wolverhampton in 1982. He grew up in Shropshire near the town of Ludlow, as well as Herefordshire.[1]

Jenrick attended Wolverhampton Grammar School before reading History at St John's College, Cambridge, where he gained a first class degree in 2003.[2] He was also news editor at student newspaper Varsity in 2001.[3] He was Thouron Fellow in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania from 2003–2004. He subsequently studied law, gaining a graduate diploma in law from The College of Law in 2005 and completing a legal practice course at BPP Law School in 2006.

Career

Robert Jenrick was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Theresa May in her reshuffle of January 2018. Amongst other responsibilities he leads at the Treasury on economic growth, productivity, infrastructure investments and support for the regions. He is the youngest Minister in the Government.

Jenrick qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and practised corporate law with the leading international law firms, Skadden Arps and Sullivan & Cromwell in London and Moscow, before pursuing a business career. Immediately prior to being elected to parliament in 2014 Jenrick was a Director of Christie's, the art business where he held a series of senior financial roles, lastly as international managing director of the company.[4]

At the general election of 2010, he contested Newcastle-under-Lyme for the Conservative Party, achieving one of the largest swings to the Conservatives in the UK, adding 9.4 per cent to the party's vote, but falling short of incumbent, Paul Farrelly of the Labour Party by 1,582 votes.[5]

In November 2013, Jenrick was selected as his party's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative stronghold of Newark, where the sitting Conservative member had left the party following a cash for lobbying scandal.[4] At a by-election held on 5 June 2014, he regained the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 7,403.[6] Jenrick became the first Conservative candidate to win a by-election in Government since the election of William Hague in the Richmond by-election in 1989 and achieved the strongest peacetime by-election result for the Conservative Party in government for over 40 years.

Shortly after his election, Jenrick was elected to the House of Commons Health Committee.

In February 2015 he was appointed PPS to the Employment Minister, Esther McVey.

Jenrick was re-elected in the May 2015 General Election with a majority of 18,474 or 57% of the vote, the largest majority in the history of the constituency and the largest swing of any Conservative MP in that election.

In May 2015, Robert Jenrick was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Michael Gove and continued to do so under his successor, Liz Truss from July 2016.

Following the 2017 General Election he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd MP.

In July 2017 he was elected by fellow MPs to be their representative on the Board of the Conservative Party.

In Parliament, Robert Jenrick has been Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Trade & Investment, Vice Chairman of the Groups on China, France and on Cultural Protection. He led a national campaign to support the protection of historic sites in the Middle East, threatened with destruction by Islamist extremists, such as the ancient city of Palmyra, persuaded David Cameron to establish the UK's first Cultural Protection Fund and to change the law to tackle the illicit trade in antiquities, the Cultural Protection Act.

He is credited with saving the historic house Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham, when he persuaded the Chancellor Philip Hammond to intervene at the eleventh hour and provide the funds needed to buy the property. He was subsequently described by the charity SAVE to be Parliament’s Greatest Champion of Heritage.

In his constituency, Robert Jenrick has campaigned for improvements in education and social mobility. He developed and campaigned for the establishment of a free school in Newark, The Suthers School which was granted as the last act of Prime Minister David Cameron. He serves as a governor of the school, which opened in September 2017.

He has campaigned for infrastructure investments in and around Newark, including the proposed Newark A46 Northern By-Pass.

Jenrick is President of the League of Friends of Newark Hospital.

In February 2016, Channel 4 News broadcast a story alleging overspending in Jenrick's 2014 by-election victory.[7] Jenrick said he was "very confident" his election expenses had been compiled "in complete compliance with the law".[8] Nottinghamshire Police took no action on these claims as too much time had passed since the alleged offence.[8]

Jenrick was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[9] Jenrick attended US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017.[10]

Property

During the Newark by-election campaign, Jenrick was attacked in a personal campaign by UKIP's candidate Roger Helmer for owning several properties. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, defended Jenrick, insisting that being self-made and successful was nothing to be ashamed of.[11] The Jenricks bought the Grade I listed Eye Manor in Eye, Herefordshire, near to his home town of Ludlow, for £1.1  million in 2009.[12]

Personal life

Jenrick is married to Michal Berkner, a leading lawyer and together they have three daughters.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "About Robert". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Newark by-election". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Varsity" (PDF). Varsity. 11 May 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Patrick Mercer lobbying claims: Tories select Newark candidate". Nottingham: BBC News. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Newcastle-under-Lyme". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Conservatives see off UKIP challenge to win Newark by-election". BBC News. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Conservatives appear to have overspent on three by-elections". Channel 4 News. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 "'Too late' to investigate Newark by-election spending claims". Nottingham: BBC News. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Newark MP Robert Jenrick going to Donald Trump inauguration". Nottingham: BBC News. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  11. ↑ Christopher Hope (3 June 2014). "Newark by-election descends into class warfare over candidates fortunes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Newark by-election: Tory candidate Robert Jenrick says that just because he has three homes 'it doesn't mean I don't know about life on the breadline'". Daily Mail. MailOnline. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Patrick Mercer		 Member of Parliament for Newark
2014–present		 Incumbent
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