Greg Hands

Gregory William Hands (born 14 November 1965) is an American-born British Conservative Party politician and Chief Secretary to the Treasury of the Conservative Government.

He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelsea and Fulham, elected in 2010 in the newly created constituency formed with the splitting of the former constituencies of Kensington and Chelsea as well as Hammersmith and Fulham. Previously, Hands represented the constituency from 2005–2010, when it was the Hammersmith and Fulham constituency.

Early life and career

Hands was born in New York City, and completed his secondary education at Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham in 1984. He went on to attend Robinson College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a first in modern history in 1989. He joined the Conservative party as a student, served as the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and was on the executive committee of the Cambridge University Students' Union.

During his gap year he worked in a swimming pool in Berlin, and became interested in the Eastern Bloc, visiting Prague and other Eastern European cities on future holidays. He worked on trading floors in the City of London and New York City until 1997. He has dual American/British nationality.

Political career

Hands was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1998. He became the leader of the Conservative group in 1999 and remained in that capacity until 2003. He stood down as councillor for the Town Ward in Fulham at the local elections in 2006. Hands was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 General Election when he gained Hammersmith and Fulham from the Labour Party with a majority of 5,029 votes. The sitting Labour MP Iain Coleman retired due to ill health, and was replaced as Labour’s candidate by Melanie Smallman. During March 2010 the UK media reported that Lord Ashcroft donated over £42,000 to fund Hands' 2005 Hammersmith & Fulham campaign.

Hands made his maiden speech on 26 May 2005, in which he referred to the fact that the BBC was the largest employer in his constituency, and that Hammersmith Broadway was the busiest road interchange in Europe.

In 2007, Hands was selected to be the Conservative candidate for the new Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary constituency. His previous seat of Hammersmith and Fulham was abolished for the 2010 General Election, with Hammersmith having its own seat (being fought by Shaun Bailey for the Conservatives), and Fulham joining Chelsea in a new seat. In January 2009, Hands was appointed to the Conservative front bench team as a Shadow Treasury Minister. He is also the Parliamentary Chairman of Conservative Friends of Poland.

Hands was re-elected in the 2010 general election for the new seat of Chelsea and Fulham.

He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne; having shadowed the Treasury in Opposition.

On 14 October 2011, Hands was appointed as an Assistant Government whip in the House of Commons as a consequence of the mini-reshuffle following the resignation of Dr Liam Fox as Secretary of State for Defence.

External links

• Greg Hands MP Official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Greg Hands MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Greg Hands MP
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Official channel at YouTube
• 'Gazette' local newspaper column written by Greg Hands and other West London MPs

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Iain Coleman	Member of Parliament for Chelsea and Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham (2005–2010) 2005–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by John Randall	Government Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2013–2015	Succeeded by Anne Milton
	Treasurer of the Household 2013–2015
Preceded by Danny Alexander	Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2015–present	Incumbent