Greg Smith (British politician) explained

Greg Smith
Office3:Member of Parliament
for Mid Buckinghamshire
Term Start3:12 December 2019
Predecessor3:John Bercow
Majority3:5,872 (10.8%)
Birth Name:Gregory David Smith
Birth Date:1979 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England
Party:Conservative
Spouse:Annalise
Education:University of Birmingham
Office:Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Term Start:19 July 2024
Leader:Rishi Sunak
Leader1:Rishi Sunak
Office1:Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
Termstart1:19 July 2024

Greg David Smith (born 3 March 1979)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Mid Buckinghamshire constituency in the 2024 General Election having previously served as MP for Buckingham since 2019. Smith was previously deputy leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council. He has been Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024.[2]

Early life and education

Smith was privately educated at Bromsgrove School and then studied at the University of Birmingham. He has had a career in design and marketing.[3] Smith was a trustee of Riverside Studios[4] from 2008 to 2019.

Political career

Smith was a councillor on Hammersmith and Fulham Council between May 2006 and May 2018, and was also deputy leader of the council. In 2014, the Conservatives lost control of the council to Labour in the local elections, and Smith was appointed as Leader of the Conservative group.[5] He stood down from the council in the 2018 elections.

At the 2017 general election, Smith stood as the Conservative Party candidate in Hayes and Harlington,[6] where he came second to the Labour Party incumbent John McDonnell with 28.6% of the vote.[7] [8] [9]

In October 2019, Smith was announced as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Buckingham, following the announcement by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow that he would stand down at the end of October.[10] At the 2019 general election, Smith was elected as MP for Buckingham with 58.4% of the vote and a majority of 20,411.[11] [12]

In the 2024 General Election Smith stood in the new constituency of Mid Buckinghamshire and was elected with 37.3% of the vote and a majority of 5,782.[13]

Smith announced his opposition to HS2 and the East West Expressway as part of his campaign. He is a supporter of Brexit.[14]

Smith opposes a Ministry of Justice plan to build a third prison in his constituency.[15]

Smith was appointed as a member of the Transport Select Committee in February 2020.[16] He is the co-chair of the Conservative rightwing Free-Market Forum.[17] In May 2021 he became chairman of the Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapies all-party parliamentary group.[18]

Smith is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.[19]

Greg's father was a police officer and Greg has been a vocal advocate for better mental health in policing. Greg has supported the national campaign Green Ribbon Policing that aims to get a better level of mental health support for police officers. https://www.gregsmith.co.uk/news/greg-continues-his-campaign-improved-mental-health-support-police-officers

Controversies

In October 2020, following a national campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford, the Labour Party put down a House of Commons motion to extend the free school meals food vouchers to cover the October 2020 half-term break. Many local councils, individuals and businesses volunteered to offer assistance to FareShare to help them serve people in need. Despite Smith's vote against the motion, he applied to one such volunteer organisation (a cafe in his former constituency at Ivinghoe) for a photo opportunity to "help get the meals ready for distribution or help with delivery". The request was refused by the cafe owners with national publicity.[20] [21]

Personal life

He moved to Wendover, Buckinghamshire, with his second wife, Annalise, in 2017.[10]

In 2021, Smith and his family moved to the Buckinghamshire village of Chearsley.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brunskill, Ian. The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. 19 March 2020. 978-0-00-839258-1. 128. HarperCollins Publishers Limited . 1129682574.
  2. Web site: Conservative Party announces interim Opposition Front Bench . 2024-07-25 . policymogul.com . en.
  3. Web site: Wareham . Stephanie . Tories pick candidate for Speaker John Bercow's Westminster seat . Bucks Free Press . 17 November 2019 . 21 October 2019.
  4. Web site: Wallace . Mark . New candidates selected in Buckingham, Newport, Brecon, Workington, Chester and Warrington . Conservative Home . 17 November 2019 . 21 October 2019.
  5. Web site: Wallace . Mark . New candidates selected in Buckingham, Newport, Brecon, Workington, Chester and Warrington . Conservative Home . 3 March 2020 . 21 October 2019.
  6. Web site: De Peyer . Robin . Hayes and Harlington Election Results Who is the MP for the constituency after the general election . Evening Standard . 16 November 2019 . 8 June 2017.
  7. Web site: Hayes & Harlington . BBC . 16 November 2019 . 9 June 2017.
  8. News: Hayes & Harlington parliamentary constituency . BBC News.
  9. Web site: 29 January 2019 . 7 April 2018 . Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191112183438/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7979/CBP-7979.pdf . 12 November 2019 . . Second.
  10. Web site: 24 October 2019 . Greg Smith selected as Conservative Party candidate for Buckingham at next general election . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191028203248/https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/people/greg-smith-selected-as-conservative-party-candidate-for-buckingham-at-next-general-election-1-9118790 . 28 October 2019 . 16 November 2019 . . Johnston Press.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191115150559/https://democracy.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/documents/s14969/Buckingham%2520Constituency.pdf . 15 November 2019 . 15 November 2019.
  12. News: Buckingham parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 – BBC News . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200807234807/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000608 . 7 August 2020 . 13 Dec 2019 . BBC.com . BBC.
  13. News: Mid Buckinghamshire Results . BBC News . 5 July 2024 . dmy .
  14. Web site: Bemused at the surrender of sovereignty at Maastricht, I was always going to be a Brexiteer . Brexit Central . 16 November 2019 . 5 November 2019.
  15. Web site: Richardson. Hannah. 23 June 2021. Plans for new prison 'devastating' says Buckingham MP. 2021-07-09. www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk. en.
  16. Web site: Buckingham MP Greg Smith: 'I share anger and frustration over HS2 decision' . Bucks Free Press . 3 March 2020 . 22 February 2020.
  17. Web site: Who We Are. 2021-07-09. FMF v1. en-GB.
  18. Web site: Greg Smith MP becomes chairman of group to help cancer patients . Bucks Free Press. 17 June 2021 . 25 May 2021.
  19. Web site: PolicyMogul . 2024-03-03 . policymogul.com . en.
  20. Web site: 29 October 2020 . Cafe rejects MP who voted against free meals to help them pack kids' lunches . 3 November 2020 . Metro.
  21. News: Bamford . Thomas . 26 October 2020 . Local schools and businesses stepping up to the plate after MPs vote down Free School Meals in Aylesbury . 8 January 2024 . The Bucks Herald.