Zac Goldsmith to fight for seat he quit over Heathrow runway row

Zac Goldsmith is to re-contest his old seat for the Conservatives after quitting the party over its policy on Heathrow.

His comeback comes just months after he left the Tories in protest at their backing of expansion at the UK's largest airport.

He lost the constituency to Sarah Olney from the Liberal Democrats in a by-election last December.

The Liberal Democrats' chief whip, Tom Brake, said: "By standing as a Conservative after resigning over Heathrow, Zac Goldsmith has just lost his last shred of credibility.

"Zac Goldsmith couldn't stand on a Conservative platform last time, so what's changed?

"Sarah Olney beat him once, she will beat him again."

Mr Goldsmith had forced the by-election so that he could run as an independent, opposing Heathrow becoming bigger.

But despite his re-emergence for the party in Richmond Park, he will still be opposing its policy on Heathrow.

Nevertheless, constituency chairman Georgina Butler said she was "delighted" that Mr Goldsmith had been reselected.

Meanwhile, former employment minister Esther McVey has been selected by the Conservatives to fight George Osborne's old seat in Tatton.

The former chancellor tweeted his "huge congratulations", describing Ms McVey as "a real star", adding that he "couldn't have a better successor".

Mr Osborne, who was in charge at the Treasury from 2010-2016, also referenced one of his key projects, saying that Ms McVey was a "one-woman Northern Powerhouse".

Sky's Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said: "Esther McVey, who is from Merseyside, had told friends she was keen to return to the Commons for a seat in the north, preferably the north west. So Tatton is perfect for her.

"She will have had George Osborne's backing, as the two worked closely when she was an employment minister and he was chancellor.

"But she was in demand. She was wanted in Chester, also in the north west, which is held by Labour with a majority of under 100, and Hornchurch and Upminster, a safe seat in east London where the veteran MP Angela Watkinson is retiring.

"Her only problem now is that Tatton is due to disappear in boundary changes before the next election, but she will be well placed to fight a new seat in Cheshire."

The Conservative majority she will be defending in Tatton stands at more than 18,000.

Before deciding to step down, Mr Osborne had been criticised for staying on as an MP while also becoming editor of the London Evening Standard.

But even after leaving the Commons, he will be kept busy with a variety of positions.