in England; according to his website, "the family was constantly on the move, due to the Labour Government of 1974–1979 closing down grammar schools". Hands completed his secondary education at Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham in 1984. During his gap year he worked in a swimming pool in Berlin; he became interested in the Eastern Bloc, visiting Prague and other Eastern European cities on future holidays. He went on to attend Robinson College, Cambridge, where he graduated with 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. Hands spent eight years after university in banking. He worked on trading floors in derivatives at the City of London and New York City until 1997. 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, remaining in that capacity until 2003. In opposition Hands stood down as councillor for the Town ward in Fulham at the local elections in 2006, having been 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. 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. Hands was early in his interest in the subject of MPs expenses, causing the whips to attempt to dissuade him. 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. In government Cameron–Clegg coalition Having been elected in 2010 for Chelsea and Fulham, he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary