Who is Justine Greening? Tory MP for Putney and former Secretary of State for Education
FORMER Cabinet big-hitter Justine Greening has announced she is to stand down as an MP at the next election.
Here's all you need to know about the Tory MP for Putney and what she's said about Brexit.
Who is Justine Greening?
Justine Greening, 49, has been at the forefront of Conservative politics for much of the last decade.
David Cameron brought her into his front bench team in 2009 as shadow minister for London.
The following year she became Economic Secretary to the Treasury, and a year after that she was promoted to Transport Secretary.
She then served four years as International Development Secretary.
When Theresa May took over in Downing Street in July 2016 she promoted Ms Greening to Education Secretary. She was also Minister for Women and Equalities.
In January 2018 she quit the government after refusing a move to the Work and Pensions brief as part of a reshuffle.
She said she would return to campaigning from the backbenches.
May's chief of staff Nick Timothy later claimed she was sacked because she had blocked a cut in university tuition fees.
Greening, elected MP for Putney in South West London in 2005, has long been opposed to a third runway at Heathrow.
She has also campaigned on social mobility, suggesting in May 2018 that applicants from sink schools should get jobs ahead of Old Etonians.
Greening went to a comprehensive school in Rotherham and qualified as an accountant before entering politics.
In June 2016 she revealed she was in a same-sex relationship.
Referring to the referendum two days earlier, she said on Twitter: "I campaigned for Stronger In but sometimes you're better off out!”
Will she quit as an MP?
On September 3 she said: “I will not be standing as a Conservative candidate at the next election.
"I want to focus on making a difference on the ground on social mobility and I believe I can do that better outside Parliament than inside Parliament.”
The ex-international development secretary said her concerns that the Tory Party was morphing into Nigel Farage's Brexit Party had "come to pass".
She also said that the Prime Minister was offering the country a "lose-lose" situation by threatening a general election.
What's she said about Brexit?
Justine Greening campaigned for Remain in 2016 and has called for a second referendum.
She suggested a fresh referendum offering three choices: accept a deal that will be brokered with Brussels later this year; reject the deal and make a clean break with the EU next March; or stay in the EU.
In the past she has sided with pro-EU Tory rebels such as Dominic Grieve and Nicky Morgan in the Commons since she quit the Cabinet.
Announcing her decision to stand down in an interview with the BBC, she said a "far better way" of resolving the situation was to offer a referendum on the "different options for Brexit".
She said a "messy" general election would be "yet again, inconclusive on a way forward on Brexit".
The MP said her party was "narrowing down its appeal" which was highlighted by the threat that MPs will have the whip removed if they vote against the Government on Brexit.
Ms Greening said the threat had not worked on her and that she would be voting for legislation this week to force the PM to extend Article 50 rather than take Britain out without a deal.
"My concerns about the Conservative Party becoming the Brexit Party,” she said.
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