Justine Greening says there needs to be a centrist candidate

Over the weekend, Putney MP Justine Greening has told ITV News that she will enter the race to replace Theresa May as prime minister if another Tory from the moderate wing of the party doesn't run.

Speaking on the Acting Prime Minister podcast, Putney's MP said, "I'd consider it...I don't know when the leadership contest will happen but for me it's always been a vehicle for changing Britain for the better, simple as that."

Asked by ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand if Greening looked at the field of leadership candidates and thinks there isn't someone who believes what she believes in, would she throw her hat into the ring, she said "that would be one of the reasons why I might do it."


Image Credit: ITV News

In the wide-ranging interview, Ms Greening was asked who she would sack from the Cabinet. In response, she said the Cabinet had "all been pretty woeful in their judgement calls on Brexit" and that ministers seem to be thinking more about ""their careers than...the country."

"This is the biggest challenge facing Britain and they've either taken bad decisions or no decisions", she said.

She called the talks between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May to find a way forward on Brexit "a bit of mess" and criticised the decision to approach the Labour leader.On Saturday, Theresa May warned Brexit could "slip through our fingers" unless a compromise can be found. Ms Greening backed Remain in the EU referendum and says she "will support any deal Parliament votes for as long as it's given to the people for them to have their say."

Ms Greening also strongly criticised Brunei's new laws, where people who have gay sex or commit adultery could be punished with death by stoning, calling on the Commonwealth to meet to discuss whether to expel the southeast Asian nation from the association.

"I think what's happening in Brunei is totally unacceptable and out of kilter with the values of the Commonwealth and I think the Commonwealth should meet to discuss what our consistent agenda on this needs to be”, she said.

"It's a good example of how in any other time I think we would be playing a much stronger role on the world stage fighting for human rights including LGBT rights than we are able to at the moment because we are simply consumed by our own internal struggles on Brexit."

Justine Greening became Member of Parliament for Putney 1t the general election of 2005. In May 2010, Justine Greening was appointed as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury within the Coalition Government. In October 2011, she was then appointed to the role of Secretary of State for Transport. In September 2012, she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development, and from July 2016 to January 2018 she was Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities.

April 10, 2019