In 1872 he was elected to the House of Commons as one of two representatives for Tamworth, a seat he held until 1878, and then sat for Staffordshire North until 1880, when he lost his seat. He unsuccessfully contested Preston in 1882, but won the seat in 1885. During the Liberal stay in power from 1892 to 1895 Hanbury was a vigorous critic of William Ewart Gladstone 's Second Home Rule Bill from a financial perspective. When the Conservatives came to power in 1895 under Lord Salisbury, he was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury and sworn of the Privy Council.
Hanbury
William Ewart Gladstone