CalendarZ

  1. Home
  2. On This Day
  3. August
  4. 20
  5. Desmond Swayne

Births on August 20

Desmond Swayne
1956Aug, 20

Desmond Swayne

Desmond Swayne, English soldier and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Sir Desmond Angus Swayne (born 20 August 1956) is a British Conservative politician serving as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of New Forest West since 1997.Before going into politics, Swayne was a teacher, and then a manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Cameron, both during his time as Leader of the Opposition, 2005–10, and then for two years while Cameron was Prime Minister. In September 2012 he was appointed as Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury and in July 2014 as Minister for International Development. Swayne was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for political and parliamentary services.

He was a supporter of the Eurosceptic pressure group Leave Means Leave. He is also a prominent critic of the British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1956

  • 26Jul

    Suez Crisis

    Following the World Bank's refusal to fund building the Aswan Dam, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.
  • 17Oct

    Bobby Fischer

    Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer play a famous chess game called The Game of the Century. Fischer beat Byrne and wins a Brilliancy prize.
  • 23Oct

    Hungarian Revolution of 1956

    Thousands of Hungarians protest against the government and Soviet occupation. (The Hungarian Revolution is crushed on November 4).
  • 4Nov

    Hungarian Revolution of 1956

    Soviet troops enter Hungary to end the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet Union, that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
  • 12Nov

    Sudan

    Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations.