Desmond Swayne
Encyclopedia
Desmond Angus Swayne TD
MP
(born 20 August 1956), 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 is currently also Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Prime Minister, David Cameron
, having been his PPS during his time as Leader of the Opposition, 2005-10.
in South Ayrshire
and Bedford School
. He studied Theology at St Marys College
at the University of St Andrews
.
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
.
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.
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
.
Following the election of David Cameron
as leader of the Conservative Party in December 2005, he was appointed as his PPS. 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:
He has maintained his role as a PPS in government
. On 11 June 2011, it was announced Swayne would be appointed a Privy Counsellor
in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours List
. On 13 July 2011, Swayne was duly sworn of Council.
, 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. Swayne employs his wife Moria as part-time Executive Secretary/Office Manager. 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.
.
In 2003 he served for five months in Iraq
, as a major
in the Territorial Army in the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
.
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.
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(born 20 August 1956), is a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the constituency of New Forest West in Hampshire, and is currently also Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Prime Minister, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, having been his PPS during his time as Leader of the Opposition, 2005-10.
Early life
He was educated at Drumley House Preparatory School at MossblownMossblown
Mossblown is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland, a little bigger than neighboring Annbank. It was a coal mining community but the mines have been closed for some time now. It is a bright and vibrant village full of hard working locals. There is also a book available written by a local...
in South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
and Bedford School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
. He studied Theology at St Marys College
St Mary's College, St Andrews
St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland - in full, the New College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton, uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the pedagogy or St Johns College .St Mary's College was...
at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
.
From 1980 to 1981 he was a school teacher in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, then Wrekin College
Wrekin College
Wrekin College is a co-educational independent school located in Wellington, Shropshire, England. It was founded by Sir John Bayley in 1880 and was known as ‘The School in the Garden’ owing to its extensive gardens and playing fields...
from 1982 to 1987. From 1988 to 1996, he was Manager of Risk Management Systems
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
at the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
.
Parliamentary career
He contested PontypriddPontypridd (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:...
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.
From 1997 to 2001, he held shadow ministerial portfolios for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, health and defence and as a senior opposition whip. From 2001 to 2005, Swayne was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to both Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
and Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
in their role as Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
.
Following the election of David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
as leader of the Conservative Party in December 2005, he was appointed as his PPS. 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:
- One colleague was a “mincehead”, another “Mr Angry”
- A group of backbenchers “boring”
- A forum of grassroots members “stooges”
- Francis MaudeFrancis MaudeFrancis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
, the party chairman, “not yet trusted by the parliamentary party” - Theresa MayTheresa MayTheresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
, the shadow Commons leader, “neither liked nor trusted across the party”
He has maintained his role as a PPS in government
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
. On 11 June 2011, it was announced Swayne would be appointed a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours List
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
. On 13 July 2011, Swayne was duly sworn of Council.
Parliamentary expenses scandal
As a result of the expenses scandalUnited Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, Swayne repaid £6,131 he claimed for a new kitchen in 2006 on his second-home flat in North Kensington
North Kensington
North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill Gate and south of Harrow Road.North Kensington is the key neighbourhood of Notting Hill...
, and £60.66 over claimed for a water bill. Swayne employs his wife Moria as part-time Executive Secretary/Office Manager. 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
Jim Knight
James Philip Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for South Dorset from 2001 until 2010, when he lost his seat. Knight held several ministerial posts during his time as an MP including Minister for the South West and Minister for...
was the highest, claiming £155,987 in 2007/2008, compared with £137,970 in 2006/2007.
Personal life
He married Moira Cecily Teek in August 1987 in Buckinghamshire. They have a son Alberts (born July 1989) and two daughters (born August 1991 and March 1997); the family live in BurleyBurley, Hampshire
Burley is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England, with a wealth of tea rooms, gift shops, art galleries and a pick-your-own farm.-The village:...
.
In 2003 he served for five months in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, as a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the Territorial Army in the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry is a yeomanry regiment of the United Kingdom's Territorial Army. It currently serves in the armoured replacement role, providing replacement tank crews for regular armoured regiments....
.
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
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
; and around £5,000 in his role as a major in the Territorial Army.
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