Forum Topic

Justine to stand down at next election

Just been announced on Breakfast news :(

Liam Jones ● 2626d16 Comments

She’s just been interviewed on the Today programme. She will stand down but stay in the party (for now). She wants to pursue her social mobility agenda outside parliament. I wish her well in that endeavour and I think she will be greatly missed as our MP for over a decade. It will be interesting to see who is selected as her successor. If a Leaver is imposed then I could see the constituency changing hands.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2626d

She’s just been interviewed on the Today programme. She will stand down but stay in the party (for now). She wants to pursue her social mobility agenda outside parliament. I wish her well in that endeavour and I think she will be greatly missed as our MP for over a decade. It will be interesting to see who is selected as her successor. If a Leaver is imposed then I could see the constituency changing hands.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2626d

Really sad news.  A great MP and a real champion for local issues.

Craig Fordham ● 2626d

Sad news indeed.

Caroline Whitehead ● 2626d

I wish Justine well on a personal basis in the future. She was very brave to come out when she did. But I cannot forgive her for her time as Education Secretary when she shamefully cut funding for our schools, and her disastrous time as Transport Secretary. She was in the Cabinet supporting May and the government’s austerity programme that has done so much harm, and allowed a separate Cabinet committee to be set up to agree to the expansion of Heathrow airport. She too often said one thing and then did another.Nick

Nicholas Evans ● 2626d

Overall I am sad  she is going. Although not sure about their prospective candidate perhaps Lib Dems stand a better chance of winning Putney esp if a leaver Conservative is propelled into the constituency by Boris & Co. She could also be handing Putney to Corbyn after Labour nearly scalped her last time, in which case I won't forgive her.

Lucille Grant ● 2626d

Nick: I think you are blaming Justine for some things she had no control over. As Education Secretary she could not go her own way but had to follow Gvt policy. She certainly spoke out against Theresa May's plan to bring back the Grammar Schools. Likewise she has always openly opposed the third runway at Heathrow.

Caroline Whitehead ● 2626d

Personally I am not a fan, (and nor is JG of me). Greening tried to persuade the Charity Commission to disqualify me (as a trustee of the WPCC) when she and Hammond met the Commission’s CEO Helen Stephenson. Greening pursued the agenda of the colluding, conflicted trustees and the lies of Simon Lee rather than examine the WPCC’s fundamental lack of honesty in an impartial way.  Unimpressive and entirely political.  

John Cameron ● 2626d

"She could also be handing Putney to Corbyn after Labour nearly scalped her last time, in which case I won't forgive her."The choice currently appears to be between Brexit (of greater or lesser harshness) and a coalition which will involve, amongst other parties, Corbyn and Labour. I'm not sure that a third choice is available.

David Ainsworth ● 2626d

Greening has not been a proper Conservative for a long time. I have watched as she has shifted further and further to the left over the course of this decade.I had to hold my nose before very reluctantly voting for her at the last general election.Time for a new Conservative candidate who believes in democracy, small government, low taxes and a free market economy to take on the role.

Mike Harris ● 2626d

I think she would still sign up to most of that. It’s the insane Brexit policy she has railed against. She was in the cabinet throughout the austerity years and only found her voice once free of collective cabinet responsibility. And she’s staying in the party (for now).

Jonathan Callaway ● 2626d

Will this new Conservative candidate have to believe in honesty too?From Armando Iannucci's Twitter:-"The court case in Edinburgh has brought up that on the 15th of August Boris Johnson's Government was actively exploring proroguing parliament... Exactly the dates they are doing now. A hand written note from Boris sent on 16th August confirming it. Sat. Aug 24th, Number 10 Press Office: ‘The claim that the Government is considering proroguing parliament in September is entirely false.’ So, entirely false? Which words have any meaning?

David Ainsworth ● 2626d

It is also interesting that the Government declined to provide a sworn statement to the court but sent some emails and documents to court late last night.Apparently the government is now saying that the issue of proroguing Parliament is not for the courts but for Parliament itself.Games, games and more horrible games!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2626d

While all this going on I see another Tory MP has defected to the LibDems. The government now has a majority of zero. That election can’t be far off now!

Jonathan Callaway ● 2626d

But only if there's a vote of no confidence, surely Jonathan. Doesn't Boris need  2/3 of the House voting  for an election?

Lucille Grant ● 2626d

Yes indeed, 2/3rds for an election but simple majority for anything else. I was wrong. His majority is not zero it’s minus one. Defect one from one side and add it to the other. Maths was never my strong suit!

Jonathan Callaway ● 2626d