The former international trade minister, Mr Hands, will be tasked with preparing the Tory campaign for the next general election and will have to overcome a 21-point lead for Labour in the polls.
Mr Hands has built a good reputation throughout his political career and is well-liked by fellow Tories.
The MP for Chelsea and Fulham shared his reaction on Twitter, writing that it was “an honour” to be Chairman alongside a photo of him with Mr Sunak.
He tweeted: “I am excited to be asked by Rishi Sunak to be Chairman of the Conservatives. I joined the Party in 1986 – a ward chairman in 1992, a councillor in 1998, a Group Leader in 1999, an MP in 2005, a Minister in 2011 – an honour to chair it in 2023! The work starts right away.”
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak unveils Cabinet reshuffle with new Tory chairman named
In a poll that ran from 11:30am on Monday, January 30, to 8am on Tuesday, February 7, Express.co.uk asked readers: “Who should replace Nadhim Zahawi as Tory Party Chair?”
Overall, 1,986 votes were cast, with the most popular choice being Mr Johnson, receiving an overwhelming 56 per cent (1,117 people) of responses.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel came in second with six per cent (110 people) followed by Foreign Office Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan with four per cent (70 people).
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden and former Chairman Brandon Lewis each received three per cent of the vote with 66 and 55 people backing them respectively.
Username fredegar wrote: “You would think it’s going to be somebody low profile and with a solid track record, somebody who isn’t going to create even more turmoil.”
Another, username DoggyPaws, said: “None of the above, someone who has an unimpeachable character and has never been linked to scandal.”
Username 1down1across remarked: “To be honest, I think it should be someone honest, with integrity and intelligence, unfortunately, there are not many of these people left.”
Username Southeast8 added: “You need friends and allies in that role.”
