Hugo Swire promoted:  Report from the Sidmouth Herald, 19 November 2004.


MP Hugo a shadow minister

EAST Devon MP Hugo Swire was yesterday promoted to Shadow Minister for the Arts. Mr Swire entered Parliament at the 2001 General Election. He was rapidly promoted to parliamentary private secretary to the then Conservative Party chairman, Theresa May MP.

In 2003, he was further promoted to the Whip's Office where he was the whip to both the Foreign and Commonwealth Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Before entering Parliament, Mr Swire was a director of Sotheby's London, the leading international auction house. Previously, he was the founding head of development at the National Gallery.

Mr Swire is the vice-chairman of the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and one of the country's leading charity auctioneers.

He told the Herald. "I am naturally thrilled by this appointment as I have been involved in the arts in one way or another for most of my working life. "I shall be spending the next few weeks mastering my brief and going out to meet and listen to people in the arts world. I am looking forward to my new role enormously."


To obtain further details of Mr Swire you can use this new website.

You can also send him a fax very easily.

Swire started out as a typical part-time MP, retaining his day job at Sotheby's. This may still be the position.

Maybe 'mastering his brief' will include formulating proposals to deal with the huge impact of 'H&S' regulations on folk festivals and other Arts events. But don't hold your breath. You could also ask him what he proposes to do to help what is apparently a dying breed of folk festival - this is from the website of Broadstairs Folk Week:

"We need your help so that Broadstairs Folk Week can continue as it is - one of the few remaining successful festivals held in a town as opposed to in an enclosed green field site. Please support us." 


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