Sir Desmond Angus Swayne has represented New Forest West as a Conservative Member of Parliament since 1997. Before entering politics, he worked as a teacher and later as a manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Throughout his parliamentary career, Swayne has held several significant government positions, including serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Cameron during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2010 and continuing in that role for two years after Cameron became Prime Minister. He was subsequently appointed Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury in September 2012 and Minister for International Development in July 2014. He received a knighthood in the 2016 Birthday Honours for his political and parliamentary services.

Swayne is known for his Eurosceptic views, having supported the Leave Means Leave pressure group, and has become a prominent critic of the British government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He writes commentary for Comment Central on political and policy matters.