The Tories have accused Robert Jenrick of being responsible for air con regulations that were actually published by Michael Gove and Kemi Badenoch. Slipping on the banana peel slightly…
A press release went out overnight:
“Today, the Conservative Party have pledged to reverse the Net Zero ban on air con in new homes, as the latest heatwave leaves families suffering unnecessarily… the Conservatives pledge to overturn this ban devised by Robert Jenrick as Housing Secretary and entrenched in London by Sadiq Khan.”
The Tories say “the legal foundation is Approved Document O of the Building Regulations. This document was consulted on and devised in January 2021.” That document was actually signed off and published in December 2021 – three months after Jenrick had left – when Michael Gove was the new Housing Secretary. And Kemi Badenoch was his second-in-command…
That of course means they could have stopped the regulations. There is footage of Jenrick backing the regulations – in formulation – in the Commons…
The Telegraph, Times, and Express wrote up the Tory release practically verbatim and are now issuing corrections and removing references to Jenrick. Quick rubber job…
A Reform source said:
“Kemi has accidentally caught her handler, Michael Gove, in friendly fire.”
Everyone needs to cool off by the looks of it…
UPDATE: Gove responds: “I am very fond of Robert Jenrick but context here helps. The policy was developed and consulted on by Rob. It was signed off by the Minister appointed under Rob. Kemi and others brought its defects to my attention. I ordered the whole thing scrapped but then GE was called…”
Robert Jenrick told a rally on Monday:
“They say Chancellors are either undertakers or bookies. This one is an ostrich – and when the Chancellor buries his head in the sand, the rest of us, we’re left staring at his you know what.”