John Major resigns from MCC committee

The former British Prime Minister, John Major, has resigned from the MCC committee following disagreements over the redevelopment plans for Lord's.

At the end of November the committee voted in a trimmed down plan for work on the ground, under the "Vision for Lord's" banner, having considered radical options that included building flats at the Nursery End and making use of tunnels under the ground. The venue will now undergo a stand-by stand renovation although it won't begin until after the 2013 Ashes.

"MCC has accepted with great reluctance the resignation from the club's committee of Sir John Major because of fundamental disagreements over the direction of policy on the Vision for Lord's; the manner in which decisions have been reached, and their wider implications for the Club," a statement said.

Major said it had been a tough decision to end his association with MCC. "For me cricket has been a lifelong and enduring passion and it will remain so," he said. "The solace the game has given me in good times and bad, the friendships I have made, and the sheer joy of the game will never fade.

"My decision to resign from the committee of the world's pre-eminent cricket club has been reached with very great sadness and I wish other members of the committee well in their future deliberations."