Having spent Christmas and New Year finalising the decision to give HS2 the thumbs up, Justine Greening will stand up in the House of Commons and announce that the £32bn new railway line will be built in time for 2026. It is her first major announcement – and it’s about the largest infrastructure project you can have on a cabinet minister’s CV.  That’s not bad considering that Greening has only been in the cabinet since last October following Liam Fox’s resignation and Philip Hammond’s move to the MoD to replace him.

Greening is highly thought of in the government, and particularly by George Osborne. As economic secretary to the Treasury, she built a reputation for being very able. Now that Greening is in charge of the transport department, she is trusted to spend when the chancellor opens the Treasury’s coffers. Her close relationship with Osborne “gives her a huge advantage in government” says one government colleague. But while her public appearances, particularly on Newsnight, saw the MP for Putney in serious mode, don’t make the mistake of thinking Greening is a humourless automaton.

In fact, Greening is known for being quite fun by fellow Conservative MPs. ‘She’s actually quite a laugh’ said one MP earlier today. As a Treasury minister, she was fond of being part of the gang in ‘naughty boys corner’ in the Commons. Sitting to the side of the Speaker’s chair, they are often the source of the loudest jeers towards Labour and the Speaker – much to his chagrin. The high-esteem in which she is held can be judged by lack of much grumbling at her rapid promotion into the cabinet. Her replacement at the Treasury, Chloe Smith, was not so fortunate and many MPs, whose ambitions are being thwarted, still grumble about that move.

Even with the opposition of the Conservative MPs whose constituencies lie on the route between London and Birmingham, Greening shouldn’t face too much serious opposition at the moment. For one, she has announced 22 miles of tunnels to decrease the environmental impact. And, as the sharp Paul Goodman of ConservativeHome points out, there is no Bill yet in front of the Commons for the new railway. Until that happens the rebelliousness mood on the Tory benches should be manageable.

Today, Justine Greening gets to announce a massive, ambitious infrastructure project. Not many British politicians get to do that. Keep your eye on her. She has even been, quietly, touted as future leadership material.
 

Tags: Department for Transport, HS2, Justine Greening