Greg Hands
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Gregory William "Greg" Hands (born 1965) British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hammersmith and Fulham.
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[edit] Early life and career
Greg Hands was born in New York City, United States, and was educated widely before leaving Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham in 1984 to attend Robinson College, Cambridge where he was awarded a first in modern history in 1989, he also served as the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association.
He worked in banking in the City of London until 1997.
[edit] Early political career
He joined the Conservative Party while a student in Cambridge and 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 2004. He stood down as councillor for the Town Ward in Fulham at the council election in 2006.
He has been a prison visitor at Wormwood Scrubs since 2002 and is a member of the Conservative Way Forward Executive. During his gap year he worked in a swimming pool in Berlin. He speaks German, French, Czech and Slovak. He and his wife Irina live in Fulham and he supports Fulham F.C.
[edit] Parliamentary career
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 Local Labour MP, Iain Coleman retired due to ill health, and was replaced as Labour’s candidate by Melanie Smallman.
The Labour Party accused Hands of scaremongering during the 2005 General Election when put election leaflets out with the words “Save Charing Cross” hospital emblazed across the headline and presenting himself at the person that would save hospital services if elected. Health Minister, Jane Kennedy, has said, “Charing Cross will not close and the Government are looking at ways to improve the local NHS for our community.” The debate continues.
Hands made his maiden speech on May 26, 2005, in which he told of the fact that the BBC was the largest employer in his constituency and that Hammersmith Broadway was the busiest road interchange in Europe.[1] He is the treasurer of the all party Russia group.
Hands was one of only four MPs, out of a total of six-hundred and forty-six in the House of Commons, who voted against the Conservative Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill.
Hands has also held a Westminster Hall debate on the Government’s Home Improvement Packs which he opposed.
Controversially, Hands came out against David Cameron’s tax position on the day Cameron unvailed it at the 2006 Conservative Party Conference. Hands arranged a media briefing on the same day during which he drove a giant steamroller over the word 'tax' and he handed out a press release which called for his own ten-point tax plan to be accepted instead.
Hands has recently been selected as the Conservative candidate for the new Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary constituency. This means that he will seek to represent this new seat after the next General Election, leaving the Hammersmith section of his current constituency to be represented by another parliamentarian.
