| The Right Honourable Hugo Swire MP |
|
|---|---|
| Minister of State for Northern Ireland | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2010 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Shadow Minister for the Olympics (from 2005) |
|
| In office 8 December 2005 – 2 July 2007 |
|
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Theresa May |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Hunt |
| Member of Parliament for East Devon |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Peter Emery |
| Majority | 9,114 (17.2%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 November 1959 London, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Alexandra "Sasha" Nott (1996 - present) |
| Alma mater | University of St Andrews |
| Website | www.hugoswire.org.uk |
Hugo George William Swire (born 30 November 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Devon since 2001. He is currently a Minister of State for Northern Ireland in the current Government. [1]
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He was educated at St. Aubyns Preparatory School in Rottingdean and Eton, and attended the University of St Andrews before going to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Before his career as a politician, he was a member of the Army, serving with the Grenadier Guards. He was a financial consultant for Streets Financial Ltd, then became of Head of Development for the National Gallery, then Director of the auction house Sotheby's directly before his election from 1996.[2]
He contested Greenock & Inverclyde in 1997. Two years after his election to Parliament, he became an Opposition whip. In 2004, he was promoted to become Shadow Culture Minister. He joined the Shadow Cabinet on 8 December 2005, when new leader David Cameron appointed him Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Swire was sacked in the July 2007 Conservative re-shuffle for suggesting his party would scrap free museum entry.[3][4][5][6] Swire returned to the backbenches and amongst other roles became Hon. Secretary of the Conservative Middle East Council.
In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for Northern Ireland in the newly elected Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron. [7]
Swire married Alexandra (Sasha) Nott, the daughter of John Nott former Conservative Secretary of State for Defence during the Falklands War, in December 1996 in Kensington. The couple have two daughters (born June 1997 and August 2001). His brothers-in-law include Joe Strummer and Julian Nott.