Tim Smith (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Timothy John Smith, known as Tim Smith, (born 5 October 1947, in Plympton
, Devon
) is a former British
Conservative
politician.
seat of Ashfield
in Nottinghamshire
, at the Ashfield by-election
, following the resignation of David Marquand
. Ashfield was regarded as a 'safe' Labour seat, but on 28 April in an amazing swing, Smith overturned Marquand's October 1974
majority of 22,915 to win by 264 votes over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the 1979 general election
, was defeated and left the House of Commons.
He was subsequently selected as candidate for the Beaconsfield by-election in 1982
in which he defeated the Labour
candidate and future Prime Minister
Tony Blair
, who also stood.
" it was revealed that he had taken undeclared payments of between £18,000 and £25,000 from Mohamed Al-Fayed
, the owner of Harrods
, much of it allegedly handed over in envelopes stuffed with £50 notes. At the subsequent 1997 general election
, he stood down, and left politics altogether.
On 3 July 1997 he was found guilty by Sir Gordon Downey
of taking cash for questions from Al Fayed, along with Neil Hamilton
. The report severely criticised the conduct of both Hamilton and Smith whilst MP's and said that if they had remained MP's, they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.
Smith remains a partner in H. M. Williams, a Chartered Accountants and a Director of Nevill Hovey & Co. Ltd, Chartered Accountants, and now lives in Boyton, Cornwall
.
Plympton
Plympton, or Plympton Maurice or Plympton St Maurice or Plympton St Mary or Plympton Erle, in south-western Devon, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin, and a former seaport...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
) is a former British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Politics
In 1977 he was selected to stand as Conservative candidate for the LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
seat of Ashfield
Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, at the Ashfield by-election
Ashfield by-election, 1977
The Ashfield by-election was held on 28 April 1977 in the Ashfield constituency in the coal mining area of Nottinghamshire, following the resignation of Labour Member of Parliament David Marquand...
, following the resignation of David Marquand
David Marquand
David Ian Marquand FBA, FRHistS, FRSA is a British academic and former Labour Party Member of Parliament .Born in Cardiff, Marquand was educated at Emanuel School, Magdalen College, Oxford, St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and at the University of California, Berkeley...
. Ashfield was regarded as a 'safe' Labour seat, but on 28 April in an amazing swing, Smith overturned Marquand's October 1974
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
majority of 22,915 to win by 264 votes over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, was defeated and left the House of Commons.
He was subsequently selected as candidate for the Beaconsfield by-election in 1982
Beaconsfield by-election, 1982
The Beaconsfield by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 May 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire...
in which he defeated the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate and future Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, who also stood.
Scandal
During the "cash-for-questions affairCash-for-questions affair
The "Cash-for-questions affair" was one of the biggest political scandals of the 1990s in the United Kingdom.It began in October 1994 when The Guardian newspaper alleged that London's most successful parliamentary lobbyist, Ian Greer of Ian Greer Associates, had bribed two Conservative Members of...
" it was revealed that he had taken undeclared payments of between £18,000 and £25,000 from Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
, the owner of Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, much of it allegedly handed over in envelopes stuffed with £50 notes. At the subsequent 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, he stood down, and left politics altogether.
On 3 July 1997 he was found guilty by Sir Gordon Downey
Gordon Downey
Sir Gordon Downey was Britain's first Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was set up by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in 1995 as a result of recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life...
of taking cash for questions from Al Fayed, along with Neil Hamilton
Neil Hamilton (politician)
Mostyn Neil Hamilton is a former British barrister, teacher and Conservative MP. Since losing his seat in 1997 and leaving politics, Hamilton and his wife Christine have become media celebrities...
. The report severely criticised the conduct of both Hamilton and Smith whilst MP's and said that if they had remained MP's, they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.
Smith remains a partner in H. M. Williams, a Chartered Accountants and a Director of Nevill Hovey & Co. Ltd, Chartered Accountants, and now lives in Boyton, Cornwall
Boyton, Cornwall
Boyton is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated close to the River Tamar and the border with Devon about six miles north of Launceston. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 378....
.