Cameron–Clegg coalition

At the 2010 general election, Hands was elected as MP for the newly-created constituency of Chelsea and Fulham, winning with 60.5% of the vote and a majority of 16,722.^[10] After the election, Hands served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, having shadowed the Treasury in opposition.^[11][12]

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 Liam Fox as Secretary of State for Defence.^[13]

In 2013, Hands voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in England and Wales.^[14]

Hands was appointed Government Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household in October 2013. In March 2014, he was sworn as a Privy Counsellor, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable" for life.^[15]

Majority Cameron government

At the 2015 general election, Hands was re-elected as MP as Chelsea and Fulham with an increased vote share of 62.9% and a decreased majority of 16,022.^[16][17][18] Following the election, Hands was promoted by David Cameron to the Cabinet inthe position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Hands campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum.^[2] In the lead-up to the referendum, Hands led the Chelsea and Fulham Britain Stronger in Europe campaign.^[19] During the campaign, Hands issued warnings of the consequences for the UK should it leave the European Union, saying that the country would face "profound consequences" including "fewer jobs, higher prices in our shops and less money for our public services like the NHS".^[20] A strong advocate of international trade, he described the European Union's Single Market as being the "most complete commitment to free trade that exists".^[21]

May government

In the 2016 reshuffle following the EU referendum and Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister, he was made Minister of State for Trade Policy at the newly formed Department for International Trade.^[22]

Following the referendum, Hands argued that the UK should leave the European Union with a deal.^[23] To justify his changed position regarding the UK outside of the European Union, Hands argued that in "the long term" the UK could "independently conclude better contracts with third countries".^[24] Hands voted against the Withdrawal Agreement in the first Meaningful Vote, but voted in favour of it in the second and third meaningful votes, stating that the deal had been improved.^[25][26]

At the snap 2017 general election, Hands was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 52.6% and a decreased majority of 8,188.^[27][28][29]

Following the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 71 people, Hands called for the Notting Hill Carnival to be moved. He said, "We have to ask ourselves if it is appropriate to stage a Carnival in the near proximity of a major national disaster." The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, dismissed Hands' proposal.^[30][31]

On 21 June 2018, Hands resigned his ministerial post to vote against a third runway at Heathrow Airport.^[32]

Following the third defeat of the Brexit withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons in March 2019, Hands co-chaired the Prosperity UK Alternative Arrangements Commission. This body looked at alternatives to the Irish backstop.^[33]

Alongside former neighbouring MPs Justine Greening and Zac Goldsmith, Hands has been critical of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's April 2019 decision to close Hammersmith Bridge to motor vehicles, and has called for the bridge to be promptly repaired and re-opened.^[34]

During the 2019 Conservative leadership election, Hands was one of the first MPs to declare their support for Jeremy Hunt.^[35] During the campaign, Hands wrote to Boris Johnson requesting that he review the Government's decision to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.^[36] Hunt ultimately lost the contest to Johnson in the final round.

Johnson government

Hands was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 49.9% and an increased majority of 11,241.^[37][38]

Hands was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy in the second Johnson ministry during the 2020 cabinet reshuffle.^[39]

In May 2020, Parliament's Standards and Privileges Committee censured Hands for misusing public funds relating to stationery and pre-paid House of Commons envelopes.^[40] In November 2021, Hands followed his party three line whip to vote to overhaul the Standards and Privileges Committee.^[41]

Truss government

Hands was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy on 9 October 2022.^[42]

Sunak government

Following the firing of Nadhim Zahawi in January 2023, Hands was appointed as his replacement as Chairman of the Conservative Party in a subsequent cabinet reshuffle. As chairman, Hands was responsible for party administration and the organisation of the Conservative Campaign Headquarters.^[1][43] In the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle, Hands was replaced as Conservative Party chairman, though King Charles III approved a request to make Hands Minister of State for Trade Policy.^[44] Returning to his previous brief, he joked, "I even kept my business cards from last time."^[45] Hands was made Minister of London as well.^[46]