Who is Greg Hands and why has he resigned? Chelsea and Fulham MP who’s against Heathrow’s third runway
JUNIOR trade minister Greg Hands has resigned from Government over the proposed Heathrow expansion.
But who is the Conservative MP and what did he say about stepping down? Here's what we know.
Who is Greg Hands?
Hands is the junior trade minister and Conservative MP for the Chelsea and Fulham constituency in London.
Born in 1965 in New York City, he attend Robinson College in Cambridge, where he gained a First in modern history in 1989.
His gap year was spent working at a swimming pool in Berlin, where he gained an interest in the Eastern Bloc in the years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He joined the Conservative party as a student, chairing the Cambridge University Conservative Students' Union.
The 52-year-old was elected to the role in 2010 in the newly created constituency.
He had also represented Hammersmith and Fulham prior to the boundary changes.
He is married to Irina Hundt and has two children.
Why has he resigned?
Hands has been a long-standing opponent of a third runway at Heathrow and is now standing down from his ministerial post so he can vote against the Government on Monday.
He backed down to honour his vow to his constituents from the 2017 General Election to oppose it.
Writing on Twitter he said: "As the Government will whipping the vote on Monday, this means I am resigning from the Government.
"It has been an honour to serve the Prime Minister (and her predecessor) for the last 7 years and I wish the PM & the Government every continuing success."
The Government's official position is to back the expansion, but Mr Hands is not the only Tory MP against it.
Another high-profile opponent of Heathrow expansion in the cabinet is Boris Johnson.
But the foreign secretary - who once vowed to lie down in front of bulldozers to stop it happening - is out of the UK on Monday and so will not be attending the vote.
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Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said in response: "So, one rule for Johnson and another for junior Minister Hands on Heathrow.
"Johnson can miss the vote. Hands must resign. Stinks."
Campaigners argue the new runway will breach the UK's legal limits on air pollution and contribute towards climate change.
It will also disrupt in huge disruption to people living in nearby villages, with hundreds of homes set to be knocked down.
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