A Partygate committee member who was accused of ‘rank hypocrisy’ by Boris Johnson after he was found to have misled Parliament today, is an enthusiastic nudist who married the ex-girlfriend of Four Weddings and a Funeral writer Richard Curtis.
Sir Bernard Jenkins was one of the cross-party MPs chosen to examine whether the former Prime Minister, who resigned from his role as MP for Uxbridge on Friday, had misled Parliament during his reign – either recklessly or deliberately. The committee found he was ‘deliberately disingenuous’ when he tried to defend a series of gatherings held during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a withering statement, Mr Johnson attempted to turn the tide on the findings, accusing his Conservative colleague Sir Bernard Jenkins of ‘rank hypocrisy’ of also breaking lockdown rules by allegedly attending his wife’s 65th birthday party.
He also had a pop at the MP’s well-known naturism past-time, claiming the committee’s arguments were ‘so threadbare that it belongs in one of Bernard Jenkin’s nudist colonies’.
Sir Bernard, whose hippy-style habits have been known publicly for decades, said after the former Tory leader made calls for him to ‘explain his actions and resign’ that he ‘didn’t attend any drinks parties in lockdown’.
Partygate committee member Sir Bernard Jenkin takes a dip in the sea at Bournemouth in 2006
The MP for Harwich and North Essex and his former wife, Anne Strutt, are both keen nudists
It is not the first time the pastimes of the MP for Harwich and North Essex have been brought up in a political brawl.
In the year leading up to the Brexit referendum in 2016, his love for being without his clothes was brought up by the Vote Remain campaign team.
His nudism was dredged up by allies of George Osbourne, such as Conservative peer Danny Finkelstein who, although used no direct names, revealed he was once forced to advise a leading Tory frontbencher not to reveal he was nudist, saying ‘we all have a problem with nudity’.
Brexiteers blasted the claim, accusing the peer of trying to smear the Eurosceptic MP who was a key figure in the Vote Leave campaign.
His aristocratic wife Anne Strutt, who he met at a Tory party conference in 1984, also likes to follow suit and embrace the nudist lifestyle.
She told the Daily Mail in 2015: ‘People think being a nudist makes Bernard sound more interesting, so I am not going to deny it. Tory MPs are so boring, aren’t they? But if it is a beautiful day with the sun shining and nobody there, why not take your clothes off?’
Adding to his colourful past, Sir Bernard is also believed to have been a long-standing rival of the Notting Hill director Richard Curtis. The MP had married Curtis’ university girlfriend, who he studied and lived in a shared house in Oxford.
Sir Bernard is also thought to have a long-standing rivalry with Richard Curtis, who is a former boyfriend of his now ex-wife. The name Bernard popped up in a number of Curtis’ films, including most prominently, Bernard in Four Weddings and a Funeral who marries Lydia
Curtis, who is described as a ‘very, very close friend’ of Mrs Jenkins, attended the pairs wedding at her family seat
Curtis, who is described as a ‘very, very close friend’ of Mrs Jenkins, attended the pairs wedding at her family seat, Terling Place, where her brother Lord Rayleigh lives.
During the ceremony, the beloved British filmmaker was seen avidly taking notes, with Lady Strutt claiming their nuptials helped shape the script for Four Weddings and a Funeral.
She previously told the Telegraph: ‘Richard draws a lot on his own experiences. In our old gang there used to be a girl called Lydia, too.
‘And if you look at our wedding video you will see Richard in the background making notes.
‘There are clearly bits from the wedding that are reflected in Four Weddings. It’s all a bit of fun but quite flattering.’
Amongst the similarities, the name Bernard constantly pops up in his film – and it appears to be no coincidence, becoming a long running joke in many of productions.
In Notting Hill Hugh Bonville plays the character of ‘Bernie’, in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hugh Grant’s character stumbles upon the groom, called Bernard, and his new bride, Lydia, in a passionate embrace on their wedding day, while in Love Actually, the son of Emma Thompson’s character is also called ‘Bernie’.
Sir Bernard Jenkin taking a dip off Bournemouth during the 2006 Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth
The Conservative Party’s then treasurer Lord Marland and Sir Bernard
For a long time, Sir Bernard and Lady Stutter were considered to have one of the best marriages in Westminster, with Mrs Jenkins working as the MPs parliamentary secretary when he was elected in 1992.
Her time in the political world, however, was not without trouble. She was blasted in 2014 for suggesting that ‘poor people can’t cook’, while her husband became embroiled in the 2009 expenses scandal.
In December of last year, however, the pair, who have two grown-up sons, announced they would be splitting after 34 years of marriage. No third party was involved, according to Mrs Jenkins.
She said at the time they had ‘separated amicably’ though ‘with much sadness’, adding that they had ‘grown apart but will always remain friends’. The MP did not comment at the time.
Sir Bernard is yet to respond to Mr Johnson’s fury that he also broke Covid-19 rules, first made by the Guido Fawkes website.
In a statement this morning, Mr Johnson said: ‘The hypocrisy is rank. Like Harriet Harman, he should have recused himself from the inquiry, since he is plainly conflicted.’
In a statement this morning, Mr Johnson said: ‘The hypocrisy is rank. Like Harriet Harman, he should have recused himself from the inquiry, since he is plainly conflicted’
Boris Johnson lashed out at Sir Bernard after the committee found the ex-PM in contempt of parliament over lies to MPs in the Commons.
After 14 months of investigation, the Privileges Committee concluded in a bombshell report that the ex-PM ‘deliberately misled’ Parliament
The MP is reported to have attended a drinks party held by Commons Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing in December 2020. The event is said to have happened while London was in Tier 2 restrictions, which had a ban on indoor mixing.
Tonight, Sir Bernard told Guido Fawkes, ‘I did not attend any drinks parties during lockdown’ and he could not ‘recall’ having a drink at his wife’s birthday celebrations.
Dame Eleanor Laign, deputy speaker of the House of Commons, said she held a ‘business meeting’ that evening.
She added: ‘I was so strict with my 2 metre ruler and told everyone we will adhere to those rules and be very careful.’
In theory, Sir Bernard could face a fine similar to the one Mr Johnson paid of his birthday party in lockdown.
However, the committee today was not censuring Mr Johnson for his brushes with the law. It was instead ruling on whether he misled MPs when he told them he believed no laws had been broken.
