Re-elected Chelsea & Fulham MP Greg Hands has been named in Prime Minister David Cameron’s cabinet.

He was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the Prime Minister’s first Cabinet reshuffle following the General Election.

And in doing so, Mr Hands becomes the first MP for Fulham at the cabinet table since Labour’s Michael Stewart in 1970, and the first MP for Chelsea since the Conservatives’ Sir Samuel Hoare in 1940.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the second most senior position in the Treasury, after the Chancellor, George Osborne, and is responsible for public expenditure including spending reviews and strategic planning, welfare reform, and efficiency and value for money in public service.

Taking to Twitter after the announcement, Mr Hands wrote: “It is a great honour that David Cameron has appointed me Chief Secretary to the Treasury. I am already hard at work delivering the Long Term Economic Plan.”

He later added: “I am delighted to be part of the Treasury Team, charged with building a more secure future for Britain, which is now possible under this new Conservative majority Government.”

He praised work made since Labour was defeated in the 2010 election but added: “The job isn’t done, there is more to do.”

Mr Hands comfortably defended his seat during the election earlier this month.