Category Archives: Hugo Swire

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24 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

Claire Wright responds to Hugo Swire’s “jokes”

Hugo Swire, the current MP for Devon East and a junior Foreign Office minister, has shown contempt for those on benefits who are struggling to make ends meet. Exposed by the Channel Four Dispatches programme in a sting, temporary auctioneer Swire, seeking to raise funds for the Conservatives at a black tie dinner for his party in Mayfair in February, managed to insult those on benefits in the UK and those who are suffering hardship in Greece. Seeking a higher bid, he said “£60,000 …Ian..persuade him…he’s not on benefits is he? Well, if he is, then he can afford it..£55,000.”

At the same function last month, which raised some £2 million for his party from some of the wealthiest people in the country, the minister was trying to auction a holiday in Greece. He commented that, for another £1,000, he “would throw in a case of wine and for an extra £5,000 we’ll throw in Greece as well”. Tables at the event could be booked for up to £15,000 each.

This event was staged just the evening before Hugo Swire voted for a cut of 13.4 per cent in the grant for Devon which will cause new hardship in the county as more services are cut. Already, libraries, hospitals, bus routes and many services for children and elderly people have been reduced or eliminated. The latest reduction prompted the Deputy Leader of Devon County Council, a Conservative, to observe “Cameron, like Pickles, is out of touch”.

Mr Swire, through the “buddy” system, is linked to five very large companies but according to Claire Wright, his main challenger in the Devon East constituency, he lacks any understanding of the problems that ordinary people have.

“What is funny about people who face a daily battle trying to survive on benefits? It is not funny for those who struggle to scrape together the funds in an attempt to make ends meet. It is not funny for the many thousands who have to use food banks. Mr Swire obviously lacks understanding and empathy with ordinary people. It shows him in a poor and callous light. This insensitive and tasteless comment comes from a minister in a government that has assured us that ‘we are all in it together’ and they probably still don’t understand why millions of us think that is a bad joke.

“His comments reflect a worrying lack of compassion that characterises this government. Mr Swire should apologise for his crass remarks.”

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24 Mar 2015

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General Election, Hugo Swire

Where is current East Devon MP Hugo Swire today?

“On Tuesday 24 March, Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will give the keynote speech on a policy summit that will explore recent developments in policy and generate new ideas for the new Parliament to come. Graham Cole, Chair of the independent Cole Commission, will speak along with experts in business support, high tech exporting and the opportunities and realities of the Asian economies.”

source: http://www.reform.uk

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23 Mar 2015

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General Election, Hugo Swire

Bentleys, Rolls Royces and Ferraris (and other cars) will get an extra 10 minutes parking in East Devon promises Swire

http://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/swire_aims_to_end_the_war_on_drivers_1_4005573

Unless, of course, EDDC chooses to auction parking spaces from now on … given our (current) MPs special talents!

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23 Mar 2015

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General Election, Hugo Swire

Oh dear, it gets worse for Mr Swire!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/watch-a-tory-mp-joke-about-people-on-benefits-at-the-partys

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3007029/Leaders-drawn-fundraising-row.html

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tory-minister-jokes-benefits-claimants-can-afford-55000-donation-to-party-at-fundraising-ball-10128991.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-minister-mocks-poor-jokes-5387934

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23 Mar 2015

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General Election, Hugo Swire

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This is what Hugo Swire thinks of you if you have ever been unlucky enough to have been on benefits

In case you missed it in the post below, here is the Guardian’s take on tonight’s Channel Four “How to get a meeting with a Minister” with our own (current) MP, Hugo Swire, in a starring role giving his views on those on benefits and (allegedly, of course) how it used to be so easy to buy fast Italian cars on MPs expenses.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/23/tory-minister-benefits-claimants-joke-channel-4-dispatches-hugo-swire

Missing from the article was this joke filmed by Channel 4 at the £15,000 per table Tory fund raising ball in January 2015:

“It’s quite naff to have Bentleys, Rolls Royces and Ferraris because anyone could have them in the good old days of MPs expenses, we could have them too but we don’t any more”.

and:

“That was the gentleman from Lycamobile. We all like a mobile and we like your mobiles”

Lycamobile avoids tax and is a large Tory donor:

“The Tories have come under fire for accepting just over £105,000 from telecoms giant Lycamobile, which has not paid corporation tax in Britain since 2007, despite making millions each year….”

… Lycamobile’s latest donation, accepted this March, means they have given the party well over £500,000 since 2011, making them one of the party’s biggest corporate donors. The firm gave £102,620 to the party, and a further £2,400 to the party’s branch in the Cities of London and Westminster. …

“… According to its latest accounts, Lycamobile posted a turnover of £142 million over the financial year 2012 to 2013, declaring a profit of just over £4 million. This marked an increase in turnover from £120 million the previous year. …”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/29/lycamobile-donations-tories-tax_n_5409793.html

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23 Mar 2015

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General Election, Hugo Swire

“How to buy a meeting with a Minister” – the sleazy truth: all it takes is money

Watching the Channel 4 investigation “How to buy a meeting with a Minister”. Shocking just isn’t a good enough word for the disgusting reality that all it takes is money – and the more money you are prepared to pay the higher up the filthy Ministerial ladder you climb. Heck, enough money and it seems you can buy yourself a peerage according to yesterday’s newspapers.

The investigator gets to meet Vince Cable just by promising to donate money – really one thinks he should have been paying the investigator for the privilege!

The “Tory Donor Club” asks only £50,000 to meet the Prime Minister – a bargain. £25,000 to have a private lunch with Health Minister and a Russian businessman (donator of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party and individual MPs) at the height of the the A and E crisis when he should have been at his desk sorting it out.the

Hunt gave his thoughts on the NHS at lunch, and deferred in a friendly way to the Russian businessman on several points.

The Treasurer of the Donor Club says that £50,000 gets you direct access to many Ministers. The Russian businessman went to the £15,000 a table Tory fundraising ball – where the more you donated the higher the level of Minister who would be on your table.

The Prime Minister had a hedge fund manager as a guest on his table, a big donor. Mobile phone companies avoiding tax also had places at tables with Ministers.

Our dear MP Hugo Swire was there auctioning in fine style with several off-colour jokes about having been able to buy Lamborghinis on expenses in the good old days as detailed here:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/23/tory-minister-benefits-claimants-joke-channel-4-dispatches-hugo-swire

No-one was told who was the highest bidder for each item (was the cost deducted from attendees expenses one wonders?)

Labour: Fund raising gala (free admission because he had said he would probably donate) – table with 2 shadow ministers, though they did say donations over £7,500 would have his name published. Meets a shadow minister (still no payment for access requested) but the feeling that the meeting happened more quickly because he was a potential donor.

Final part: Tories and Labour both said undercover reporter donations over £7,500 would be publicised.

However, Lib Dem peer Lord Strasburger meets him after the lunch with Vince Cable and discusses how his donations can be concealed: via a business or his wife or later he asks if another family member can donate on his behalf: his stepfather i.e. a group of people donating individually each under that figure . The investigator then gets to meet Nick Clegg who has already been briefed about him. The peer explains the donors wish to be anonymous – Clegg appears to suggest donations in two different financial years.

He goes to another Lib Dem Party bunfight with a cheque for £10,000 in his stepfather’s name, telling the peer it is really from him as a first instalment. The peer accepts the money and shares a table with him at dinner and later thanks him for the donation.

On being told about the donation, the peer resigned from fundraising and reported himself to Parliament and it also went to the Electoral Commission.

£15,000 bought the investigator meetings with four Cabinet ministers and two Shadow Cabinet ministers.

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23 Mar 2015

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East Devon Alliance, General Election, Hugo Swire, Latest news

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East Devon’s MP in Channel 4 sting

See http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/23/tory-minister-benefits-claimants-joke-channel-4-dispatches-hugo-swire

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22 Mar 2015

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Clyst St Mary, Hugo Swire, Local Plan

How does our current MP choose who to assist with direct Ministerial correspondence?

Anyone else got examples of Hugo going direct to other Ministers to sort out their personal planning problems? We have this old example and one of him getting an EDDC decision reversed for a shed company to set up its premises in Whimple so far.

Curiously, he seems not to have used this option very often and never, to our knowledge, about the Local Plan and its effect on individuals and small communities such as those in Clyst St George, Clyst St Mary and Broadclyst.

Anyone there got something similar they could show us (prior to the General Election canvassing period, of course)?

Click to access cor003-mrandmrscameronandrthonhugoswiremp.pdf

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17 Mar 2015

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Affordable and Social Housing, Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire, NPPF

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Claire Wright: press releases on local meetings, MP buddying, National Planning Policy Statement

Meetings:
COME AND MEET CLAIRE osm 16.3.15

MP buddying:
Claire Wright Buddy press release 16.3.15

National Planning Policy Framework
Claire Wright NPPF press release 16.3.15

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14 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire, UKIP (local)

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Last night’s hustings

Organised by Federation of Small Businesses, at Sidmouth’s Kennaway House, appears not to have been too well organised. Public were supposed to have been excluded, then apparently there was a change of mind to include them and then a change back to no public. Irritated UKIP members invaded en bloc and the chairman (who seemed unsure where “Knowle” was) seems not to have understood his role.

Not a good start, though we hear Claire Wright was in very good form and Hugo Swire made some very strange remarks (possibly from a very large briefing folder he brought with him).

No doubt UKIP will blame the EU for the way the evening went.

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11 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

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Some of us are in it together, some of us aren’t

The post below, in which Independent councillor and potential Parliamentary candidate Claire Wright speaks of people having to choose between “eating and heating” reminds us of this post which appeared in November 2013 (NOT, of course, an East Devon Watch post!) at the time o the MPs expenses scandal was at its height.   He had become Minister of State at the Foreign Office on 4 September 2012.

It is believed that Mr Swire currently pays his own energy bills from his £100,000+ salary.

Swire Energy

Source: http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/mp-energy-expenses-fuel-poverty.html

Note:

Ministerial salaries:

Click to access m06.pdf

and here is a list of ALL their perks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_Members_of_the_United_Kingdom_Parliament#Current_permitted_salary_and_benefits:_Commons

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11 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

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INDEPENDENT CLAIRE WRIGHT STILL GAINING ON CONSERVATIVE HUGO SWIRE IN DEVON EAST

Press release:

The Independent Claire Wright is making ground fast in the race to represent Devon East after the next General Election. Her odds, originally quoted at 66/1, have improved and now stand at 9/2 according to William Hill. Hugo Swire’s odds have deteriorated again. In late February, he was standing at 1/12 and is now at 1/6. This further confirms Claire Wright’s position as the main challenger to the Conservative who has held the seat since 2001 but who has been widely criticised for neglecting the constituency. UKIP remain in third position, at 18/1, followed by the Liberal Democrats at 40/1. Labour trails in last place at 100/1.

Claire Wright, already regarded as the independent with the best chance of success in the election across the whole of the UK, welcomed the latest confirmation of her position.

“My team and I have been working hard to show that I have the best chance of unseating Mr. Swire. The local press has been full of supporting letters, not least in refuting some of my opponent’s ridiculous and patronising claims. For example, he wrote about independents ‘popping up’ and being ineffective in Parliament. I am delighted to have ‘popped up’, just like Mr Swire. We are both exercising our democratic rights. His claim that, effectively, a vote for anyone but him would lead to chaos, is preposterous. If independents can do nothing in Parliament, I cannot understand how a vote for me could lead to chaos!

“I started my campaign last June and my manifesto was launched in January. It was based on my experience as a town, district and county councillor and also on a survey that I undertook to find out what concerned local people. Since then, in many hundreds of conversations with local residents and representatives from local businesses, several key points have emerged repeatedly.

“Many voters are tired of the main parties, the system under which they operate and the absurd claim that ‘we are all in this together’. As I meet elderly people, now denied readily available hospital beds or local buses, I become angry.

“Eight supporters have given the Conservative party £12.2 million so far during this Parliament. Is it right that so much is given to so few to rule so many?

“I find it offensive that in this country, which has the fifth largest economy in the world, some people have to choose between heating and eating. It is clear to me that voters want significant change. They are angry and frustrated with Conservative-led government at central and local level. They want to be represented by someone who lives in the constituency, knows about its problems and will always be free to speak and free to act. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I can promise that I shall listen to my constituents and work hard for them in Parliament.”

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11 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, Environment (local), General Election, Hugo Swire

River Otter beavers are healthy and can stay for at least 5 years

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-31831665

Thanks to Independent Councillor and Parliamentary candidate Claire Wright who campaigned to keep them from the very beginning and liaised with Defra and Devon Wildlife Trust to ensure that, in line with local public opinion, they would be allowed to stay, if healthy.

Hugo Swire merely noted on his website that he was pleased to hear the news they might be allowed to stay.

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9 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

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Claire Wright’s betting odds improve yet again!

Hugo Swire 1/6
Claire Wright 9/2 !!!!
UKIP 18/1
LibDems 40/1
Labour 100/1

Definitely not good news (again) for Hugo.

Remember: bet responsibly and be over 18.

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6 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, East Devon Tories, General Election, Hugo Swire

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Is Hugo Swire piggy-backing on Claire Wright’s campaigns?

Hugo Swire’s web site lists the things he is most proud of having done in East Devon recently but it seems to mirror many of the campaigns that Claire Wright has been involved with in the four years since she has been an East Devon councillor and even before that. The full list is:

– My coffee morning at Kennaway House
(Conservative Party fundraiser)

– The opening of Culver House’s new garden room
(brief appearance and photo opportunity)

– Public meetings on planning
because he finally realised that his constituents are as mad as hell – Claire Wright has been pushing this issue for YEARS and almost certainly knows more about local planning issues than he ever will.

– The opening of the new premises of Sheds Direct Devon
(Swire says he got EDDC to reverse a planning decision (based in part on poor access) about this company in Whimple even though he has not spoken up about any other planning issues since he was elected in 2010 (e.g. massive overdevelopment) – which Claire Wright has done for YEARS and YEARS, even before she became a councillor.

– I call on EDDC to put their plans to relocate on hold
simply a press release – Claire Wright has been campaigning on this for years – in the face of massive EDDC Tory councillor opposition) – Hugo announced his view only AFTER EDDC Tories had taken the decision to relocate.

– I take the campaign to save Ottery Hospital’s beds straight to the Secretary of State for Health
because as a Minister he says he cannot speak about East Devon in Parliament so his meetings, if any, have to take place behind closed doors – Claire Wright has held many, many local (open and poblic) consultations and attended many meetings on this issue for MONTHS since hospital closures were mooted.

– I welcome the news that the beavers will remain on the River Otter
Claire Wright has campaigned tirelessly ever since they were identified and has liaised with DEFRA and Devon Wildlife Trust to ensure that they remain on the river.

– I welcome a cash boost for East Devon’s school buildings
buildings that have been allowed to deteriorate for years and for which Claire Wright continually points out are stretched to capacity because of over-development.

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4 Mar 2015

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Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

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“Out of touch MPs don’t get it”

“Too few politicians in Britain have any idea what life is like for people living on benefits, the former head of the Civil Service has warned, criticising ministers who send their children to public schools and have private health care rather than use the NHS. In an outspoken attack Lord (Gus) O’Donnell said there were still “too many people in politics who just don’t get it” and called for political parties to select candidates using open primaries to broaden representation in Parliament.

And he criticised the “few” Government ministers who, he said, still did not use the public services they were in charge of delivering.

…“There are unfortunately too many people in politics who just don’t get it; who just don’t understand what life on benefits would be like,” he said. Recalling his time as press secretary to Sir John Major, Lord O’Donnell said Sir John repeatedly emphasised that “we need to really care about public services”, but was often met with opposition from ministers who would ask: “Why should we bother about that? Our people don’t use them.”

“Many badly run organisations tend towards what can be termed the “North Korean” school of management; a culture of secrecy, with as little information as possible allowed out, and a generally hostile attitude towards anyone from outside questioning the prevailing culture.”

So runs the first paragraph in today’s editorial in the The Independent …

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/a-medical-horror-story-the-failures-at-morecambe-bay-are-shocking-and-must-never-happen-again-but-the-nhs-can-be-restored-to-health-10083710.html?origin=internalSearch