Jeff Smith (British politician)
Jeff Smith | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington | |
Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |
Preceded by | John Leech |
Majority | 29,875 (55.8%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Manchester, United Kingdom | 26 January 1963
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater | University of Manchester |
Website | jeffsmith |
Jeff Smith (born 26 January 1963) is a British Labour Party politician from Manchester. He was elected at the 2015 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester Withington.[1] He had previously represented the Old Moat ward on Manchester City Council since 1997.
Contents
Early life and career
Smith was a pupil at the private Manchester Grammar School,[2] and graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Politics and Economics in 1984.[3] Smith was a member of the University of Manchester Students' Union Executive 1984-85 as Entertainments Office. He is a former Executive Member for Finance on Manchester City Council[4] and a former governor of Parrs Wood High School.[5]
He was chosen in June 2013 as the Labour candidate for Manchester Withington[6] in preference to the candidate backed by Unite the Union.[7]
Parliamentary career
At the general election in May 2015, Smith was elected MP for Manchester Withington on behalf of Labour, defeating the incumbent Liberal Democrat John Leech, with a majority of 14,873. Smith was re-elected in the 2017 snap general election, securing 71.7% of the vote and more than doubling his majority over next-placed John Leech to 29,875 (55.8%).
Smith is a whip.[8]
In July 2015, Smith was one of the 184 Labour MPs to abstain on the controversial Conservative welfare Bill.[9]
He supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party (UK) leadership election.[10]
On 14 March 2019, Smith abstained on Amendment H - a bill to delay the UK's withdrawal from the EU and create sufficient enough time to enable a further referendum on the withdrawal to be held.[11]
He was elected Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in 2017[12] and is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.[13]
Personal life
Smith is also a part-time DJ and has performed regularly at V Festival and club nights Poptastic in Manchester and Star in Leeds.[14]
References
- ^ "Manchester Withington Parliamentary constituency: Election 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ Kelly, Richard (29 May 2015). "Pupil Plebiscites and Leftist Leanings: Political Participation and Manchester Grammar School, 1906–2015". Political Studies Association.
- ^ "SMITH, Jeffrey". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2017 (online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required) (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries)
- ^ "The Members of the Executive: The Executive Members in 2013 / 14". manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014.
- ^ "The Governing Body". Manchester, UK: Parrs Wood High School. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014.
- ^ Wheatstone, Richard (10 June 2013). "Gloves are off as candidates set to do battle for Withington seat". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ Crick, Michael (6 November 2013). "Unite choosing Labour's candidates: is Cameron correct?". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ^ Williams, Jennifer (26 January 2017). "Labour MP Jeff Smith risks being sacked as whip after refusing to back Brexit vote". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ Stone, Jon (21 July 2015). "Welfare bill: These are the 184 Labour MPs who didn't vote against the Tories' cuts". The Independent.
- ^ Smith, Mikey; Bloom, Dan (20 July 2016). "Which MPs are nominating Owen Smith in the Labour leadership contest?". Mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ "UK Withdrawal from the EU — Delay Withdrawal to Enable a Further Referendum on Withdrawal to be Held: Recent Votes". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Crispin Blunt and Joan Bakewell elected as Chair and Co-Chair of humanists in Parliament". Humanists UK. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ Staff writer (19 April 2010). "Corridors of Power to Wheels of Steel". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
External links
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Leech |
Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington 2015–present |
Incumbent |