Desmond Swayne MP: speeches

Speeches

• 18 Nov 2025 · Northern Ireland Troubles Bill · Hansard source

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  How confident is the Secretary of State that his provisions for preventing compensation for interim custody orders will withstand challenge in the courts, and would the Government’s case be undermined in any way by their decision not to challenge the original ruling in the High Court?

• 17 Nov 2025 · Asylum Policy · Hansard source

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  As the Home Secretary struggles to find these return hubs, she should reflect on the fact that it was her Government who wasted £700 million by giving up an opportunity to Germany and the United States before we got the chance to use it.

• 17 Nov 2025 · Budget: Press Briefings · Hansard source

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  Given the blatant breach of pre-Budget purdah, will the Chancellor follow the proper example set by Hugh Dalton?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Planning and Infrastructure Bill · Hansard source

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  Is not the principal difficulty that so many housing developments have now become unprofitable, and that is why they are not being proceeded with? It is the costs that have been loaded on builders in the last 15 months.

• 13 Nov 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T7. Why has capital investment in agriculture collapsed? It is the family farm tax, isn’t it?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Taxes · Hansard source

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  No, it was definitely the Korean war!

• 5 Nov 2025 · Curriculum and Assessment Review · Hansard source

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  This is education in the clouds when contrasted with the reality of a war against elitism, which is so often actually a war against excel-ism on the ground, is it not?

• 4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source

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  Growth, increased turnover and increased profits for microbusinesses should be a cause for celebration, but the reality is that crossing the reduced VAT threshold can be a disaster. So many suppliers of small businesses are themselves small businesses; there is no VAT that they can reclaim, so it can be dreadful.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I will call only Sir Ashley Fox and the Minister to make speeches. There will not be an opportunity for Sir Ashley to sum up after the debate.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Official Development Assistance Reductions · Hansard source

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  Order.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Official Development Assistance Reductions · Hansard source

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  Order. I am imposing a formal four-minute limit.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Official Development Assistance Reductions · Hansard source

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  Order. I suggest four minutes from now on.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Official Development Assistance Reductions · Hansard source

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  Edward Morello, you have less than a minute.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Official Development Assistance Reductions · Hansard source

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  I call Sarah Champion. I suggest five minutes.

• 28 Oct 2025 · Stamp Duty Land Tax · Hansard source

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  I am still smarting from my hon. Friend’s reluctance to squash the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake), who alleged that there had been no leasehold reform. Such was the extent of leasehold reform under Conservative Governments that the Duke of Westminster resigned from the party in indignation.

• 28 Oct 2025 · Stamp Duty Land Tax · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady referred to the trade deals—so many more than were achieved under the Conservative Government, she says—but the reality is that those trade deals could not have been made had we not had the Brexit deal that we achieved when in government. What is more, the Labour party opposed that deal. We could not do those trade deals before 2016.

• 27 Oct 2025 · North Sea Oil and Gas Industry · Hansard source

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  Has the Minister made any estimate of the likely impact on Petrofac and similar enterprises of the extension of the energy profits levy?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Building Safety Regulator · Hansard source

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  Can we try harder to stick to five minutes?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Building Safety Regulator · Hansard source

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  Oh, I see. That is very gracious of you. We will have Mr Mike Reader then.

• 23 Oct 2025 · Building Safety Regulator · Hansard source

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  Order. I suggest a time limit of five minutes. Mr Tice, do you wish to speak?

• 23 Oct 2025 · Alleged Spying Case: Role of Attorney General’s Office · Hansard source

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  None of it makes sense—not the collapsed trial, Chagos or the embassy—but, as my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) says, it all makes sense if the Government have prioritised a strategic relationship with communist China, does it not?

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  The active management of the prison service at those levels of occupation was of course hard work, but that hard work was absolutely necessary, and far preferable to simply taking a view that we will not have all those criminals in prison at all. The reality is that what we are doing now is much worse.

• 21 Oct 2025 · Sentencing Bill · Hansard source

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  The importance of the sunset clause is that it relieves the monstrous contradiction we have had from the Government. They have presented this legislation as an emergency measure because the prisons are too full, yet at the same time they boast about their great, expansive prison-building programme. Clearly the two are at odds with one another. Who will be put in these prisons if this legislation persists? That is why my right hon. Friend’s sunset clause is so important.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Postural Tachycardia Syndrome · Hansard source

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  Order. Interventions should be shorter.

• 14 Oct 2025 · Northern Ireland Troubles · Hansard source

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  Like the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State should stop using the phrase, “The legislation was struck down by the courts.” The courts have no such power. As Jack Straw made clear from the Dispatch Box, a declaration of incompatibility is no more than a declaration; it places no obligation or expectation on Parliament. But may I thank the Secretary of State for at least listening to my representations in delaying the repeal of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 until the new legislation is in place? Of course, he is doing so because they are effective. Otherwise, there would be no point in delaying their repeal, would there?