Greg Hands: The Remainer tasked with securing Tory victory at the next election
Greg Hands #GregHands
At a time when the Tory Party is seemingly haemorrhaging support to the anti-EU Reform UK party, it was perhaps a surprise that Rishi Sunak promoted a prominent Remainer to be its chairman.
Greg Hands was number two to George Osborne at the time of the 2016 Brexit referendum – and was a key figure in what his opponents dubbed ‘Project Fear’.
While Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he warned: “Leaving the EU would mean fewer jobs, higher prices in our shops and less money for our public services like our NHS.”
Mr Hands also mocked Boris Johnson – still popular with the Conservative membership – for taking a trip to Kabul when he was foreign secretary so he could avoid voting against a third runway at Heathrow.
And yet he has been chosen by the Prime Minister to energise the membership to get out the vote in May’s crucial local elections.
Mr Hands was one of Mr Sunak’s strongest supporters over the summer when he first stood for the leadership. Now he takes over from Nadhim Zahawi, a supporter of Brexit, who was sacked last month over his tax affairs.
Aged 57, the new Tory chairman was born in New York City and has dual UK-US citizenship. His family moved back to Britain when he was seven.
After a career in banking, the multilingual father-of-two was elected to the Commons in 2005 for the west London seat of Hammersmith and Fulham, and later moved after boundary changes to Chelsea and Fulham.
After the Tory-Lib Dem coalition gained power in 2010, he became parliamentary private secretary – an unpaid aide – to the new Chancellor, George Osborne.
After a period as a government whip, after the Tory election victory of 2015 he was promoted to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
During the EU referendum campaign, he was one of the strongest voices for Remain.
In an article for the Telegraph, he wrote: “Less trade means less money for our NHS” and said the Brexiteers’ economic case had been shattered by President Obama’s warning that Britain would be at the “back of the queue”.
Mr Hands extolled the virtues of the single market, saying that if Britain were outside the system, “Britain will have handed our continental competitors an advantage and swapped free trade for new barriers which put jobs, low prices and financial security at risk”.
He cited Treasury analysis showing that leaving the single market and signing a free trade agreement with the EU would cost the UK economy equivalent to £4,300 for each household and £36billion in lost revenue.
He added: “Frontier Economics has calculated that being outside the single market in services would cost £100billion in trade. PwC has demonstrated that losing the financial passport would cost 100,000 jobs.
“Leaving the EU would mean fewer jobs, higher prices in our shops and less money for our public services like our NHS. That is why we should vote to remain in the EU on June 23.”
However, after the UK voted to leave the Union and he was appointed trade minister by Theresa May, Mr Hands changed his tune.
He argued that in “the long term”, the UK could “independently conclude better contracts with third countries”.
Two years after being appointed by Mrs May, Mr Hands resigned his ministerial post to vote against a third runway at Heathrow.
He mocked Mr Johnson, a prominent opponent of Heathrow expansion, for arranging a meeting in Afghanistan so he did not have to do the same.
He tweeted: “Great to arrive back in the UK at Luton Airport in time for the match today and to vote against Heathrow expansion tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to be abroad for either of those. #commitments.”
Mr Hands later came back to government under Mr Johnson, where he served again as trade minister. But he is clearly no fan of the former prime minister.
In the autumn he revealed in a series of tweets backing Mr Sunak for the top job that he had offered him the role of Northern Irish secretary in the summer but he turned it down.
Recalling the conversations, which came as Mr Johnson scrambled to remain prime minister amid resignations, Mr Hands wrote on a Twitter thread: “I told him he had to resign, as he couldn’t form a Government.
“Doubtless others said the same. The next morning, he duly did resign. I have no reason to have any more confidence today that he could put together an effective government.”
He left government when Liz Truss took over but, as her premiership began to crumble, she brought him back for the third time as trade minister, a role he retained under Mr Sunak.
Yesterday Mr Hands said on Twitter that he was “excited” to be appointed Tory chairman.
“I joined the Party in 1986 – a ward chairman in 1992, a councillor in 1998, a group leader in 1999, an MP in 2005, a minister in 2011 – an honour to chair it in 2023! The work starts right away.”
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