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 Liam Fox as Secretary of State for Defence. In 2013, Hands voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in England and Wales. Majority Cameron government In May 2015, following the Conservatives' general election win under the stewardship of David Cameron, Hands was promoted by him to the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury and thus the Cabinet. He was sworn as a Privy Counsellor in the process, entitling him to the style "The Right Honourable" for life. Hands campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union in the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union. In the lead-up to the referendum, Hands led the Chelsea and Fulham Britain Stronger In Europe campaign. 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". 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". 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. Following the referendum, Hands argued that the UK should leave the European Union with a deal. 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". 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. 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." Event organisers and the Labour MP for Kensington rejected his suggestion. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, dismissed Hands' proposal. On 21