Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe Environment

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Thursday 26th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Kevin Foster]

It was interesting to hear the right hon. Gentleman’s brief mention of his parents. I remember the attacks he faced in terms of his own father and his reaction to them. I thought those attacks took politics to a place which was not appropriate. We should always judge Members by who they are and what they say, not seek to attack their family. In terms of the strategy, I am very clear, when we liaise with the police and when we talk to them about appropriate measures to be taken, that that applies whatever opinion anyone adopts within this House. I suspect my discussions are more likely to focus on those who may strongly disagree with me but have absolutely every right to put those arguments forward and to have measures in place to protect them—and not just from those things that cross the boundaries of the criminal law, but also from incessant abuse online, particularly when it is ill-informed.

But as we all know, we as a Government wanted to give the British people an opportunity express their views on Tuesday 15 October 2019. Sadly, for the first time in history, a Government wanted an election to resolve the matter but were blocked from doing so by the Opposition.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

There is a strategy. The Prime Minister is the last thing standing against ending the Brexit enterprise entirely. He can expect no quarter. Absolutely everything is going to be thrown at him, isn’t it?

[Kevin Foster]

I think it is safe to say, as you yourself reflected, Mr Speaker, that the Brexit process has provoked passions and arguments and debate, but I think where the Prime Minister is very clear is that his view is the way to deal with this, and the Government’s view is that we should ensure that we deliver Brexit on 31 October 2019.

Early Parliamentary General Election

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Wednesday 4th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

There is one purpose in denying this motion. That is to ensure that the British people have no say whatever over what takes place at the European Council on 17 October, isn’t it?

Leaving the EU: Preparations

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

The hon. Lady, like me, wants to avoid a no-deal Brexit if at all possible. The British Retail Consortium, supermarkets and others involved in providing our food have been doing important work to make sure we continue to have a wide choice and a ready supply of the fresh food that we all enjoy.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Earlier in the year, when it appeared momentarily that we might leave without a deal, Mr Barnier announced that there would not, after all, be a hard border and that other arrangements would be relied upon. Where could he have possibly got that idea?

[Michael Gove]

I think very possibly from some of the wise and thoughtful speeches that have been made by my right hon. Friend.

G7 Summit

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd September 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Lady, and I know she has been a long-standing campaigner for peace in Northern Ireland. However, I must respectfully say to her that, actually, it is the backstop and the withdrawal agreement itself that undermine the balance of the Good Friday agreement because, in important matters, they give a greater preponderance to the voice of Dublin in the affairs of Northern Ireland than they do to the UK—the UK having left the EU. That is a simple fact, and I do not think it is widely enough understood. That is one of the reasons the withdrawal agreement itself is in conflict with the Good Friday agreement.

As for the advice the hon. Lady asks about, I have not seen any such advice.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

I once took a train to Manchester to negotiate the price and purchase of a Morris Minor, having purchased only a one-way ticket. It was not a sensible negotiating strategy, was it?

[The Prime Minister]

No, it was not. I do not know what happened to my right hon. Friend and his Morris Minor, but we intend to do a much better deal in Brussels over the next few weeks.

G20 and Leadership of EU Institutions

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I think what is important for the United Kingdom is that we continue to take this strong position in relation to the activities of Russia. I have referenced a number of those already; I have not yet referenced in response to questions the actions that Russia took in Ukraine, which are matters that I also raised with President Putin.

It is important to look at the actions that the United States has taken. After the attack that took place in Salisbury, it expelled about 60 Russian officials. We saw a significant and unprecedented international response, but in fact the largest number of expulsions took place from the United States. Its actions, I think, have been important in this.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

The Prime Minister said that international development expenditure would be aligned with emissions reduction, but last week the Secretary of State told us in terms that his main effort was resilience, not emissions reduction. The Prime Minister’s priority is the right one, but does the Secretary of State know?

[The Prime Minister]

I assure my right hon. Friend that we are working on all these issues. As I indicated in response to an earlier question—I think it was in response to comments that the Leader of the Opposition made—it is important not only that we work on reduction, but that we ensure that while that reduction is taking place, we help those countries that need to build their resilience and their ability to deal with the climate change that we are already seeing. They are not mutually exclusive; I think we should be doing both.

Oral Answers to Questions

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Vicky Ford (Chelmsford) (Con)]

7. What assessment she has made of the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

8. What assessment she has made of the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK.

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

14. What assessment she has made of the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK.

--- Later in debate ---

[Karen Bradley]

I agree wholeheartedly. I had the honour of visiting Portrush and Royal Portrush last week, and saw the beaches at their best in the sunshine. Mr Speaker, you will be delighted to know that the Open starts after Wimbledon finishes, so I hope that you will be able to enjoy it.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

And city deals, surely?

European Council

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Monday 24th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I hope that I can reassure the hon. Lady that that issue was indeed one that was touched on in the discussions that were held around the EU Council table. There was a recognition that this issue has to be addressed across the world. Yes, it is right that the UK has led and that we want Europe to lead, but we want this to be something that is adopted widely across the globe, because that is the only way to ensure that we deal with these greenhouse gas emissions.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

What are the prospects of Mr Barnier getting one of the top jobs?

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to comment on individual potential candidates. A number of names are being mentioned around the European Union at the moment. As I have said, there was no consensus on candidates for the top jobs at the meeting last week. A further meeting will be held at the end of this week.

Leaving the European Union

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

A Hampshire knight who represents a beautiful forest—I call Sir Desmond Swayne.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Out by the end of July, she says! A Brexiteer of whatever flavour could grant the Bill a Second Reading, saving their reservations for Committee, and make their final judgment on Third Reading, could they not? And what is a folderol?

National Security Council Leak

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Thursday 2nd May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lidington]

The hon. Gentleman mixes up a number of matters. The Attorney General’s consent is required to a prosecution under the Official Secrets Act, but the Attorney General has no power to initiate an investigation or a prosecution. The hon. Gentleman is also continuing to confuse two points. What we are dealing with—this is at the heart of the issue and the decision before the Prime Minister yesterday evening—is not so much the substance of what has been disclosed as the fact that the leak was of proceedings of the National Security Council. Therefore, whether or not the various harm tests under the Official Secrets Act were met in this particular case, the Prime Minister reached the decision that, regrettably, she no longer had confidence in my right hon. Friend the Member for South Staffordshire. That was why she reached that decision in her assessment of the public interest.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

The right hon. Member for New Forest West looks as though he is about to start to sprint. I think that he must be heard.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Outside this House, a right hon. Member is being called a liar, and inside this House, a number of Members have implied as much. Natural justice demands that the evidence be produced so that his reputation can be salvaged or utterly destroyed, doesn’t it?

[Mr Lidington]

I have, I think, taken great care in the language that I have used in the House today, and I am not in the business of going around making allegations of the kind that have apparently been made outside the House. The fact is, however, that having read the investigation report, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister reached the conclusion that there was compelling evidence to suggest responsibility on the part of the former Secretary of State for Defence for the leak from the National Security Council, and that was why she took the decision that she did

European Council

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Thursday 11th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

No, it is not because I am concerned about what the result of such a vote would be; it is because I believe that, having given the decision to the British people on whether we should leave the European Union, it is the duty of this House to deliver on that.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Is not it abundantly clear that anyone who believes that a second referendum will bring the nation together was on another planet during the last one?

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend makes a very important point. I believe that a second referendum would be divisive, rather than healing.