Owen smith mp biography of donald
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I think we need to make sure people are satisfied". On 9 January 2016, he voiced an interest in eventually standing for Labour leadership, saying it would be an "incredible honour and privilege" to do the job.
On 27 June 2016, in the mass resignations from the Labour benches following the Leave vote in the EU membership referendum, he announced he was stepping down as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
He later studied History and French at the University of Sussex. In his 2016 leadership bid, Smith released proposals for policies aimed at improving workers rights such as a repeal of the 'Trade Unions Act' and a commitment to ensure workers' representation on remuneration committees. As Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Smith attacked the government's welfare reforms, calling the bedroom tax "unlawful and discriminatory".
However, later during the same by-election campaign, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Smith argued that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and "the world would have been a safer place if we hadn't done it."
He was among 557 MPs who voted in favour of the UN-backed air strikes on Libya in 2011.
In December 2015, Smith sided with the Labour leadership by opposing the government's plans for military intervention in the Syrian civil war.
In a July 2016 interview with The Guardian he stated, "I'm someone who believes that we live in a capitalist society and that the Labour party is about trying to achieve socialism within that ... In launching his campaign on 17 July, he called for a rewriting of Clause IV of the party's constitution to make a specific reference to tackling inequality, which he said should be "right at the heart of everything that we do".
On 18 July 2016, Angela Eagle pulled out of the leadership race because she had approximately 20 fewer nominations than Smith.
In an interview, Smith offered the following endorsement of the former contender: "Angela is a star in the Labour firmament. Smith explicitly rejected universal basic income as a policy option.[57][58][60][61][62]
Foreign policy, defense, and military interventions
Owen Hart — Ring name(s) The Blue Blazer[1] The King of Harts[1] Oven Hart … Wikipedia
Owen Davidson — (born 4 October 1943 in Melbourne) was a professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.
He said that he supported many of Corbyn's policies but that Corbyn was "not a leader who can lead us into an election and win for Labour." He suggested that the party's MPs or NEC could choose between him and Angela Eagle, so that only one of the two would go forward to a ballot. On 13 July 2016, following the vote to leave the EU, three weeks prior, he pledged that he would press for an early general election or offer a further referendum on the final 'Brexit' deal drawn up by the new Prime Minister, were he to be elected Labour leader.
He also suggested that income tax rates on the highest paid should be increased, with a top rate of 50%, claiming that recent party policy had been "too timid". He later followed Murphy to the Northern Ireland Office.
In 2006, while still Head of Policy and Government Relations for Pfizer, Smith fought the 2006 Blaenau Gwent by-election.
Smith's departure contributed to the destabilization of Corbyn's frontbench, prompting over 30 resignations in total and setting the stage for a leadership contest.Following his resignation, Smith positioned himself as a candidate to challenge Corbyn, initially supporting Angela Eagle's bid before entering the race himself after Eagle withdrew on 19 July 2016.[4] He framed his candidacy as an effort to unify the party around a platform capable of opposing the Conservative government while appealing to a wider voter base, contrasting Corbyn's approach with a more pragmatic stance on issues like defense and economic policy.[4] The resignation marked Smith's shift from loyalist to critic, highlighting tensions between Corbyn's left-wing base and the party's centrist elements seeking electoral viability.
Departure from Parliament in 2019
On 29 October 2019, Owen Smith announced that he would not seek re-election as the Labour MP for Pontypridd in the general election scheduled for 12 December.[45] In a letter to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Smith stated that his decision stemmed from "personal and political reasons," describing his nine years in Parliament as a "privilege" but concluding it was time to step down.[45][46] This came one day after Smith had voted against the government's motion to hold the election, reflecting ongoing tensions within Labour over Brexit strategy, where Smith—a staunch remainer—had been dismissed from the shadow cabinet in September 2018 for defying the party whip on an EU withdrawal bill.[47][1]Smith's tenure ended with the dissolution of Parliament on 6 November 2019, prior to the election.[1] Labour selected Alex Davies-Jones as the replacement candidate for Pontypridd, who retained the seat with 38.8% of the vote and a majority of 3,785—down from Smith's 2017 majority of 11,440—amid Labour's national losses under Corbyn.[48][49] Smith's voluntary exit avoided a potential primary challenge or electoral defeat in a constituency that had supported Remain by 54% in the 2016 referendum but faced shifting voter sentiment on Brexit and party leadership.[47]Post-parliamentary activities
Return to corporate lobbying
After departing Parliament in November 2019, Owen Smith returned to corporate lobbying within the pharmaceutical sector, leveraging his prior experience at firms like Pfizer.During the by-election campaign, Smith spoke with Wales Online and expressed his support for the private sector playing a supportive role in the NHS, private finance initiative (PFI) schemes, but has since described such schemes as a failure.
Subsequently, he was appointed as the candidate for the Labour safe seat of Pontypridd and won it by a margin of 2,785 votes in the 2010 general election, a much narrower margin than that of the previous Labour MP, Kim Howells, with the Labour majority falling by 25.7%.
On 14 September 2015, he was named as the new Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party. He then joined the Welsh Affairs Select Committee and was appointed a shadow minister for Wales.
In 2012 he was promoted to Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, after Peter Hain stepped down.
Smith was named as a potential contender in the 2015 Labour leadership election to replace Ed Miliband.
At Bristol Myers Squibb, his responsibilities reportedly included direct engagement with officials at the Department of Health and Social Care and other bodies to shape post-Brexit pharmaceutical regulations and National Health Service procurement strategies.[50] This return drew commentary from political observers noting the continuity from his pre-parliamentary work, amid broader scrutiny of revolving doors between politics and industry lobbying.[9]By late 2023, Smith transitioned within the company to a senior position in Australia and New Zealand, announced in January 2024 as General Manager for the region, where he continued oversight of government affairs and market strategy, maintaining a lobbying dimension in advocating for pharmaceutical policies in those markets.[51][50]
Executive roles in pharmaceuticals post-2019
Following his departure from Parliament on 6 November 2019, Owen Smith rejoined the pharmaceutical sector in 2020 as Executive Director of Market Access and External Affairs for Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[50][52] In this capacity, he oversaw strategies for securing reimbursement and access to BMS products within national health systems, drawing on his prior experience in pharmaceutical communications and policy advocacy at firms like Pfizer and Amgen.[51][9]By August 2021, Smith had assumed leadership of BMS's UK and Ireland Market Access team, expanding his responsibilities to include direct engagement with government stakeholders on pricing, procurement, and regulatory matters.[53] This role aligned with BMS's focus on innovative oncology and immunology therapies, amid post-Brexit adjustments to UK pharmaceutical policy.[50]In January 2024, Smith was promoted to Vice President and General Manager for BMS Australia and New Zealand, prompting his family's relocation to Melbourne.[50][53] In this executive position, he directs overall operations, including commercial strategy, patient access initiatives, and partnerships with local health authorities, while serving on the board of Medicines Australia, the industry trade association.[54] As of 2025, he continues in this role, emphasizing innovation in treatments for serious diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.[55][56]Political positions and ideological stance
Economic policies and employment views
During his tenure as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2015 to 2016, Owen Smith emphasized reforming welfare and employment structures to prioritize job security and fair pay, criticizing the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as "a byword for cruelty and insecurity." He proposed abolishing the DWP and replacing it with a Ministry of Labour focused on employment support and a separate Department for Social Security for benefits administration.[57][58]In his 2016 Labour leadership campaign, Smith pledged to end austerity through increased public spending and progressive taxation, including reinstating the 50p top income tax rate, reversing planned corporation tax cuts, and undoing reductions to inheritance tax and capital gains tax.In an interview with The Guardian in mid-July, Smith said that housing – doubling the number of homes built – would be an important part of his platform.
In late July 2016, Smith said that, if elected leader of the Labour Party, he would ban zero-hour contracts and end the public sector pay freeze, saying that "The public sector pay freeze cannot continue while the costs – of housing and heating, transport and childcare – continue to rise".
This page has not been updated since 2015.
Biography:
Owen Smith was elected as Labour MP for Pontypridd on May 7th 2015 with 15554 votes, taking 41.1% of the vote.
Owen was brought up in Pontypridd and Barry, where he joined the Labour Party, aged 16.
After studying History and French at the University of Sussex, he started work at the BBC, as a TV and Radio Producer, in Wales and in London.
He left the BBC in 2002, returning to live in Pontypridd, and working as Special Advisor to the former Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt.
Hon. Paul Murphy, MP.
He left the Northern Ireland Office in 2005 when he moved from Pontypridd to Surrey to work as a policy and communications advisor in the private sector. After leaving Pfizer in September 2008, he joined Amgen, another pharmaceutical company.
In 2002 he became a special adviser for Paul Murphy, then the Secretary of State for Wales.
He wrote on Twitter: "On July 27 I asked @jeremycorbyn 3 times if he was prepared to see our party split & worse, wanted it to. They have three children.
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Owen Smith
Owen Smith is no longer a Member of Parliament.