Greg Hands Removed as Tory Party Chairman
Local MP 'disappointed' but pleased to be a trade minister again
Picture: Greg Hands MP
November 13, 2023
Chelsea and Fulham MP took to social media this Monday afternoon (13 November) to express his disappointment at being removed as Conservative Party chairman.
He added that he was ‘able to choose’ to go back to the trade ministry, where he has worked on four previous occasions, and that it was ‘a job I also love’. He joked that he still had his old business cards but that the department had been rebranded since his previous stint.
Despite Mr Hands’ positive response to the move, which was part of a comprehensive cabinet reshuffle which included the return of David Cameron to front-line politics with his appointment as Foreign Secretary, many commentators are describing it as a demotion. As a Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade he will not normally attend cabinet meetings
He had only been made Chairman in January 2023 following the firing of Nadhim Zahawi. The role made him responsible for party administration and election campaigning.
Poor results in recent by elections had led to calls from some within his own party for him to stand down but he refused to quit blaming the disastrous loss of safe seats on ‘legacy issues’ that predated his time as Chairman and Rishi Sunak’s term as Prime Minister.
He is to be replaced by Richard Holden who has only been an MP since 2019 and, assuming he remains in post, will lead the Conservatives campaign at the next general election.
Other high profile departures include Suella Braveman being sacked as Home Secretary and Therese Coffey leaving DEFRA.
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