Desmond Swayne
Desmond Angus Swayne TD VR MP (born 20 August 1956),[2] is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of New Forest West in Hampshire, and was formerly also Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, having been his PPS during his time as Leader of the Opposition, 2005–10, prior to his appointment in September 2012 to the office of Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury.
Contents
Early life
He was educated at Drumley House Preparatory School at Mossblown in South Ayrshire and Bedford School. He studied Theology at St Marys College at the University of St Andrews.[3]
Career
From 1980 to 1981 he was a school teacher in Economics at Charterhouse, then Wrekin College from 1982 to 1987. From 1988 to 1996, he was Manager of Risk Management Systems at the Royal Bank of Scotland.[3]
On top of his salary as an MP, Swayne earns £12,000 a year as a director of property development firm Lewis Charles Sofia Property Fund, which specialises predominantly in holiday developments in Bulgaria; and around £5,000 in his role as a major in the Territorial Army.[4]
Military career
Swayne was commissioned into Group B of the Territorial Army (TA) on 3 October 1984 as a second lieutenant (on probation). As a non-deployable officer, he served as an adult staff member of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingent of Wrekin College, where he was also a teacher.[5] His commission was confirmed and he was promoted to lieutenant on 10 December 1984.[6] On 15 September 1987, he resigned his commission in the CCF, having joined the TA proper in August of that year.[7]
On 2 August 1987, he transferred from Group B to the Royal Armoured Corps, Territorial Army in the rank of second lieutenant (on probation).[8] He served with the Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry.[9] He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 August 1989,[10] and to captain on 1 August 1992.[11] On 1 November 1992, he transferred to the newly formed Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry.[12] He was promoted to major on 14 December 1996 with seniority from 1 January 1996.[13]
In 2003, he was called up and posted to Iraq as part of the Iraq War.[14] He served for six months before returning to the House of Commons.[15]
Parliamentary career
He contested Pontypridd in 1987 and West Bromwich West in 1992 (where he failed to defeat the Labour incumbent Betty Boothroyd, who was shortly to become the Speaker), before being elected to his present seat in 1997. He held the seat to serve his fourth consecutive term in the 2010 UK general election.[16]
From 1997 to 2001, he held shadow ministerial portfolios for Northern Ireland, health and defence and as a senior opposition whip. From 2001 to 2005, Swayne was Parliamentary Private Secretary to both Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard in their role as Leader of the Opposition.[3]
Following the election of David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party in December 2005, he was appointed as his PPS.[3] This position involved being the eyes and ears of Cameron in the House of Commons and reporting back on observations and requests from colleagues. In 2006, a series of Swayne's e-mails to Cameron with unflattering descriptions of fellow Conservatives were leaked to the media:[17]
- One colleague was a “mincehead”, another “Mr Angry”
- A group of backbenchers “boring”
- A forum of grassroots members “stooges”
- Francis Maude, the party chairman, “not yet trusted by the parliamentary party”
- Theresa May, the shadow Commons leader, “neither liked nor trusted across the party”
He maintained his role as a PPS in government.[18] On 11 June 2011, it was announced Swayne would be appointed a Privy Counsellor in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours List.[19] On 13 July 2011, Swayne was duly sworn of Council.[20]
In 2014 he was appointed as a minister for international development[21]
Parliamentary expenses scandal
As a result of the expenses scandal, Swayne repaid £6,131 he claimed for a new kitchen in 2006 on his second-home flat in North Kensington, and £60.66 over claimed for a water bill.[4] Swayne employs his wife Moira as part-time Executive Secretary/Office Manager.[22] Swayne provided a full breakdown of his expenses on his website, and was found by local media in New Forest/South Dorset to be the lowest claiming of the local MP expenses’ league table, after claiming £94,754 expenses in 2007/8, compared with £91,737 in 2006/7. Then Schools Minister and MP for Dorset South Jim Knight was the highest, claiming £155,987 in 2007/2008, compared with £137,970 in 2006/2007.[23]
Personal life
He married Moira Cecily Teek in August 1987 in Buckinghamshire. They have a son Albert (born July 1989) and two daughters (born 23 June 1991 and March 1997); the family live in Burley.[24]
Honours and decorations
He is a recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Iraq Medal, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. He has also received the Territorial Decoration for 12 years service in the Territorial Army. In June 2009, he was awarded the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal.[25]
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| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
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Iraq Medal | |
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Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
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Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
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Territorial Decoration (TD) |
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Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VR) |
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References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/25258.stm Desmond Swayne MP
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49987. p. 201. 7 January 1985. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50052. p. 3108. 4 March 1985. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51194. p. 307. 11 January 1988. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51115. p. 13839. 9 November 1987. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51609. p. 328. 9 January 1989. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51890. p. 11305. 2 October 1989. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53054. p. 15840. 21 September 1992. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53192. p. 1866. 1 February 1993. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54718. p. 3878. 27 March 1997. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/11/government-publishes-list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-57099
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59808. p. 1. 11 June 2011.
- ↑ Privy Council Office — Orders for 13 July 2011
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59106. pp. 10705–10706. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 05 August 2014.
External links
- Desmond Swayne MP official site
- Desmond Swayne MP biography at the site of the Conservative Party
- ePolitix.com - Desmond Swayne
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Desmond Swayne MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Desmond Swayne MP
- The Public Whip - Desmond Swayne MP voting record
- BBC News - Desmond Swayne profile 10 February 2005
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
Patrick McNair-Wilson as MP for New Forest
|
Member of Parliament for New Forest, West 1997- present |
Incumbent |
- 1956 births
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- Alumni of the University of St Andrews
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- UK MPs 2001–05
- UK MPs 2005–10
- UK MPs 2010–15
- UK MPs 2015–20
- British Army personnel of the Iraq War
- Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry officers
- Living people
- People educated at Bedford School
- Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister
