Julian Smith (politician)
Julian Richard Smith PC (born 30 August 1971) is a British Conservative Party MP. He was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon with 27,685 votes (50.6% of the votes cast); giving him a majority of 9,950 votes.[1][2]
He currently serves as Chief Whip of the House of Commons, having been promoted by Prime Minister Theresa May in November 2017.
Early life
Smith was born in the city of Stirling[3] in the Central Belt of Scotland on 30 August 1971.[4]
Smith was educated at Balfron High School, a local comprehensive, followed by a Sixth Form Bursary to Millfield School, an independent school in the town of Street in Somerset in South West England, followed by the University of Birmingham, where he read English and History.[3]
Parliamentary career
Smith was elected as MP for Skipton and Ripon in 2010 with a majority of 9,950, and was returned to the House of Commons in 2015 with an increased majority of 20,761. In Parliament, he served on the Scottish Affairs Committee for a brief period in 2010[5] and was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for International Development, from September 2010 to 2012. Smith was subsequently Parliamentary Private Secretary to Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development, from 2012 to May 2015. After the 2015 General Election, Smith was appointed an Assistant Government Whip in David Cameron's Second Ministry.[6]
Following the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum on 23 June, Smith was one of six MPs who led the Parliamentary leadership campaign on behalf of the Home Secretary, Theresa May.[7] After May became Prime Minister on 13 July 2016, four days later Smith was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a senior position within the Government Whips' Office.[8] Since 2 November 2017, he has been the Chief Whip of the House of Commons.
Security
In October 2013 The Guardian alleged that Smith may have breached national security by posting an image on his website of himself alongside military personnel.[9] Smith had previously asked questions in Parliament about whether The Guardian's handling of intelligence material leaked by Edward Snowden had breached national security. He reported the newspaper to the police.[9] Smith argued the newspaper should be investigated as it had "endangered" British security personnel by publishing leaked information.[10]
Pairing Controversy
On 19 July 2018, Smith was reported to be resisting calls to resign his position as Government Chief Whip, following allegations that he had instructed five Conservative MPs to break "pairing" agreements in an important parliamentary vote the previous day. Only one MP, Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis, complied with the instruction. Subsequent reports indicated that Smith had given similar instructions to five MPs, but Lewis had been the only one willing to break what one commentator described later as "a centuries old ‘code of honour’". Before it had become known that the affair had involved approaches by Smith to more than one MP, the Prime Minister backed Lewis by asserting that "The breaking of the pair was done in error. It wasn't good enough and will not be repeated."[11][12]
References
- ↑ "No. 59418". The London Gazette. 13 May 2010. p. 8744.
- ↑ "Skipton and Ripon". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- 1 2 Julian Smith: Biography Publisher: Politics.co.uk Retrieved: 14 March 2013.
- ↑ "Julian Smith". Who's Who. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ↑ "Julian Smith". Parliament UK. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ "Her Majesty's Government". Gov.UK. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ "Interview: Chief Whip Gavin Williamson MP on his factory worker beginnings and recent promotion « Express & Star". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ↑ "Skipton MP Julian Smith given key promotion in the Government of new Prime Minister Theresa May". Craven Herald & Pioneer. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- 1 2 "Did Conservative MP Julian Smith endanger national security?". Guardian. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Smith, Julian (22 October 2013). "Julian Smith MP: The Guardian's impact on national security". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Mikey Smith (19 July 2018). "Tory chief whip Julian Smith under mounting pressure to resign over Brexit vote 'cheating'". Daily Mirror, London. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ↑ Joe Murphy; Nicholas Cecil. "Tory chief whip Julian Smith urged to quit over pairing deal 'error'". Evening Standard, London. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 2010–present
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Curry |
Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon 2010–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Anne Milton |
Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2017 |
Succeeded by Esther McVey |
| Treasurer of the Household 2017 | ||
| Preceded by Gavin Williamson |
Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2017–present |
Incumbent |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 2017–present | ||
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Gavin Williamson |
Conservative Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2017–present |
Incumbent |