Peter Swallow

Peter Swallow

Labour — Bracknell

Speaking in the House of Commons on 16 October 2025

Debate

Official Secrets Act Case: Witness Statements

Contribution

As the right hon. Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat) emphasises so emphatically, across the whole House we are appalled by the actions of the Chinese state. I want to go back to the precise law under which the charges were brought. The Act was first introduced in 1911 and the Conservatives set out to review it when they were in Government in 2015, but they did not successfully replace with a law that was fit for purpose until 2023, eight years later. Had the Conservatives got on with the job and replaced the law more quickly, would we be in a different position now?

More from Peter Swallow

Other recent Hansard contributions by the same speaker.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

For Peter Swallow's full parliamentary record including voting history, expenses and all other contributions, see the Peter Swallow report card.