Nick Smith (British politician)
Nick Smith | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Dai Davies |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1963 Tredegar, Wales |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Children | Two daughters |
Nick Smith (born 1963) is a Labour politician, Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent in Wales, first elected to parliament at the 2010 general election.
Life
Born into a family of miners and steel workers, Smith grew up in Tredegar and attended its comprehensive school. He went on to the University of London, where he graduated MSc in Economic Change.[1][2]
Before his election to parliament, Smith was a Labour Party organiser in Wales, a councillor for the London Borough of Camden, and an officer at the Labour Party's national headquarters (where from 1993 to 1998 he was responsible for Labour’s membership drive), an International Democracy Adviser, working around the world, and Campaigns Manager for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Divorced, he has two daughters and lives in Nantyglo.[1][3]
Smith's first significant job in politics was as agent for Frank Dobson in Holborn and St Pancras, and he later acted as agent for Emily Thornberry in her narrow victory in Islington South at the 2005 general election. He was first elected to Camden Council in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. In 2003, he was appointed as the Council's Cabinet member for Education,[4] a post which he controversially continued to hold for some months during 2005 after moving to Brussels to work as Secretary General of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, the Camden New Journal dubbing him 'Two Jobs Nick'.[5]
Smith was elected as Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent on 6 May 2010, defeating the incumbent, Dai Davies.[6] On his success, he commented "The local population and the Blaenau Gwent Labour Party have shared values, and that's come through in this result tonight."[7] He also said he had promised the late Michael Foot he would return Blaenau Gwent to Labour.[8]
References
- ^ a b About me at nick-smith.net
- ^ Nick Smith at labour.org.uk
- ^ Nick Smith at telegraph.co.uk
- ^ Nick Smith at parliament.uk/biographies
- ^ Kim Janssen, Smith goes to Brussels Education boss ‘Two Jobs Nick’ set to step down in the autumn dated 10th June 2005 at camdennewjournal.co.uk
- ^ Election result 2010 for Blaenau Gwent (BBC)
- ^ Labour delight over Blaenau Gwent dated 7 May 2010 at news.bbc.co.uk
- ^ Alison Sanders, ELECTION: Blaenau Gwent returns to Labour fold dated 7th May 2010 at southwalesargus.co.uk
External links
- nick-smith.net official site
- Nick Smith on Twitter