List of Ministers’ Interests and Ministerial Code Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

List of Ministers’ Interests and Ministerial Code

Desmond Swayne Excerpts
Monday 24th April 2023

(1 year ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Alex Burghart Portrait Alex Burghart
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I think the hon. Lady is arguing for no due process. The moment that formal allegations were made against the former Deputy Prime Minister, both he and the Prime Minister decided it would be necessary to call an independent investigation into the Deputy Prime Minister’s conduct. That was conducted by a leading KC and, following the conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister resigned. The alternative would have been to have no investigation at all—no independent assessment—and in our opinion that would have been wrong.

Desmond Swayne Portrait Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)
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How swiftly will the Government act to reduce the time in which complaints about ministerial behaviour can be made?

Alex Burghart Portrait Alex Burghart
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My right hon. Friend is a lover of brevity, and the truth is that he will have seen in the Prime Minister’s letter to the former Deputy Prime Minister that it is necessary to make sure any

“shortcomings in the historic process”

are addressed. He has asked the Cabinet Office to look at that and we intend to do so swiftly.