All articles written by Greg Hands on PoliticsHome.com

17 Feb Foreign affairs

Carney was right that ‘middle powers’ need to forge stronger bonds – it’s time to aggressively expand the CPTPP

Only Michael Gove served longer than me as a government minister in the last Conservative government, 2011 to 2024, and one of my last acts as trade minister was to deposit the UK’s ratification to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) free trade group in May 2024, just before Rishi’s Sunak’s ill-timed general election was called.

07 Oct 2025 Political parties

Tories must hold their nerve, stay in the game and get ready to build back next year

When we last gathered in Manchester, two years ago, I was MP for what had been a famously safe Conservative seat, and I was party chairman. A lot can happen in two years in British politics, let alone the likely four years until the next general election.

01 Mar 2025 Foreign affairs

Friedrich Merz will not conduct ‘business as usual’ – and that may well be to the UK’s advantage

Another Grand Coalition may not feel like a particularly remarkable election result in Germany. But don't be fooled — Friedrich Merz, who I have met many times, will not be continuity Merkel and Scholz.

18 Jun 2018 Foreign affairs

EU – Japan Trade Agreement lays foundation for prosperous future UK Deal

As the UK leaves the EU we can hope to further encourage free trade through creating our own agreements and by engaging with partners around the world in the shared pursuit of prosperity and security, says the Minister for Trade and Investment, Greg Hands MP.

30 Mar 2018 Brexit

There is a lot we can do before Brexit to realise our trading potential

Minister of State for Trading Policy Greg Hands says that getting the "bread and butter" of trade deals correct will be crucial in making it easier for the UK to conduct trade after Brexit.