NEW Forest West MP Desmond Swayne got the sharp edge of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s tongue in Parliament.

The MP, who lives in Burley, spoke out at the start of the second reading into the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill. Mrs Smith, who is to step down in the next Cabinet reshuffle, had just explained the Bill “introduces measures to help complete the biggest overhaul of Britain’s immigration system in a generation” when Mr Swayne asked: “Am I alone in suspecting that this is an entirely a content-free Bill?”

As she recapped on the government’s previous measures to tighten the immigration system, Mr Swayne interrupted by calling out: “What has that got to do with this bill?”

The speaker, Michael Martin, intervened to tell Mr Swayne to keep quiet and listen to her explanation. She responded with: “Thank you, Mr Spe-aker. The honourable gentleman has had lunch, but he did not have coffee.”