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{{Short description|Former MP, in office 1982–1997}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Tim Smith
|name = Tim Smith
|office = [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]]<br>for [[Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Beaconsfield]]
|office = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Beaconsfield]]
|term_start = 27 May 1982
|term_start = 27 May 1982
|term_end = 2 May 1997
|term_end = 8 April 1997
|predecessor = [[Ronald Bell (politician)|Ronald Bell]]
|predecessor = [[Ronald Bell (politician)|Ronald Bell]]
|successor = [[Dominic Grieve]]
|successor = [[Dominic Grieve]]
|office1 = [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]]<br>for [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]]
|office1 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]]
|term_start1 = 28 April 1977
|term_start1 = 28 April 1977
|term_end1 = 3 May 1979
|term_end1 = 7 April 1979
|predecessor1 = [[David Marquand]]
|predecessor1 = [[David Marquand]]
|successor1 = [[Frank Haynes]]
|successor1 = [[Frank Haynes (politician)|Frank Haynes]]
|birth_date = 5 October 1947
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1947|10|5}}
|birth_place = [[Plympton]], [[Devon]], [[England]], UK
|birth_place = [[Plympton]], [[Devon]], England
|death_date
|death_date =
|death_place
|death_place =
|party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
}}
}}
'''Timothy John Smith''' (born 5 October 1947) is a former British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician.
'''Timothy John Smith''' (born 5 October 1947) is a British former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician.


==Politics==
==Politics==
In 1977 he was selected to stand as Conservative candidate for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] seat of [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]] in [[Nottinghamshire]], at the [[Ashfield by-election, 1977|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 [[United Kingdom general election, October 1974|October 1974]] majority of 22,915<ref>[http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74b/i01.htm UK general election results, October 1974: Aberavon — Banbury] at Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources</ref> to win by 264 votes<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geocities.com/by_elections/77.html |title=1977 by-elections |accessdate=2016-08-04 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025101514/http://geocities.com/by_elections/77.html |archivedate=25 October 2009 |df=dmy-all }} at British Parliamentary By-elections</ref> over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the [[United Kingdom general election, 1979|1979 general election]], was defeated and left the House of Commons.
In 1977, Smith was selected as Conservative candidate for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] seat of [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]] in [[Nottinghamshire]] at [[1977 Ashfield by-election|the by-election]] that had been called following the resignation of [[David Marquand]]. Ashfield was regarded as a 'safe' Labour seat, but on 28 April, in an amazing result, Smith overturned Marquand's [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974]] majority of 22,915<ref>[http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74b/i01.htm UK general election results, October 1974: Aberavon – Banbury] at Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources</ref> to win by 264 votes<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geocities.com/by_elections/77.html |title=1977 by-elections |accessdate=2016-08-04 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025101514/http://geocities.com/by_elections/77.html |archivedate=25 October 2009 |df=dmy-all}} at British Parliamentary By-elections</ref> over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]].


He was subsequently selected as candidate for the [[Beaconsfield by-election, 1982|Beaconsfield by-election in 1982]] in which he defeated the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] candidate and future [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]], who also stood.
He was selected to contest the [[1982 Beaconsfield by-election]], in which he defeated the Labour candidate, future Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]]. Smith was thereafter returned as MP by the constituency at each general election until 1997.


==Scandal==
==Scandal==
During the "[[cash-for-questions affair]]" 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.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/03/27/nslea27.html Ex-minister quits over sleaze], Daily Telegraph, Thursday 27 March 1997</ref> At the subsequent [[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997 general election]], he stood down, and left politics altogether.
During the "[[cash-for-questions affair]]" 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 note]]s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020520125323/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/03/27/nslea27.html Ex-minister quits over sleaze], ''The Daily Telegraph'', Thursday 27 March 1997</ref> In May 1997, at [[1997 United Kingdom general election|the subsequent general election]], Smith 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 (politician)|Neil Hamilton]]. The report severely criticised the conduct of both Hamilton and Smith whilst MPs and said that if they had remained MPs, they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/07/04/nham04.html Hamilton guilty of taking cash<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
On 3 July 1997, he was found guilty by Sir [[Gordon Downey]] of taking cash for questions from Al Fayed, along with [[Neil Hamilton (politician)|Neil Hamilton]]. The report severely criticised the conduct of both Hamilton and Smith whilst they had been MPs, and said that had they remained MPs they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001219165200/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2000-12-19 |title=Telegraph |website=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>


Smith now lives in [[Boyton, Cornwall]].
Smith now lives in [[Boyton, Cornwall|Boyton]], Cornwall.


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Ashfield by-election, 1977]]
* [[1977 Ashfield by-election]]
* [[Beaconsfield by-election, 1982]]
* [[1982 Beaconsfield by-election]]


==References==
==References==
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{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]]
| title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]]
| years = [[Ashfield by-election, 1977|1977]]–[[United Kingdom general election, 1979|1979]]
| years = [[1977 Ashfield by-election|1977]]–[[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]]
| before = [[David Marquand]]
| before = [[David Marquand]]
| after = [[Frank Haynes]]
| after = [[Frank Haynes (politician)|Frank Haynes]]
}}
}}
{{succession box
{{succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Beaconsfield]]
| title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Beaconsfield]]
| years = [[Beaconsfield by-election, 1982|1982]]–[[United Kingdom general election, 1997|1997]]
| years = [[1982 Beaconsfield by-election|1982]]–[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]
| before = Sir [[Ronald Bell (politician)|Ronald Bell]]
| before = Sir [[Ronald Bell (politician)|Ronald Bell]]
| after = [[Dominic Grieve]]
| after = [[Dominic Grieve]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974–79]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Oxford University Conservative Association]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1979–83]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974–1979]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–87]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–92]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–97]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–1997]]
[[Category:People from Plympton]]
[[Category:People from Plympton]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Office junior ministers]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Office junior ministers]]




{{Conservative-UK-MP-1940s-stub}}
{{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1940s-stub}}

Latest revision as of 17:59, 24 February 2024

Tim Smith
Member of Parliament
for Beaconsfield
In office
27 May 1982 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byRonald Bell
Succeeded byDominic Grieve
Member of Parliament
for Ashfield
In office
28 April 1977 – 7 April 1979
Preceded byDavid Marquand
Succeeded byFrank Haynes
Personal details
Born (1947-10-05) 5 October 1947 (age 76)
Plympton, Devon, England
Political partyConservative

Timothy John Smith (born 5 October 1947) is a British former Conservative politician.

Politics

[edit]

In 1977, Smith was selected as Conservative candidate for the Labour seat of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire at the by-election that had been called following the resignation of David Marquand. Ashfield was regarded as a 'safe' Labour seat, but on 28 April, in an amazing result, Smith overturned Marquand's October 1974 majority of 22,915[1] to win by 264 votes[2] over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the 1979 general election.

He was selected to contest the 1982 Beaconsfield by-election, in which he defeated the Labour candidate, future Prime Minister Tony Blair. Smith was thereafter returned as MP by the constituency at each general election until 1997.

Scandal

[edit]

During the "cash-for-questions affair" 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.[3] In May 1997, at the subsequent general election, Smith 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 they had been MPs, and said that had they remained MPs they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.[4]

Smith now lives in Boyton, Cornwall.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ UK general election results, October 1974: Aberavon – Banbury at Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources
  2. ^ "1977 by-elections". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) at British Parliamentary By-elections
  3. ^ Ex-minister quits over sleaze, The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 27 March 1997
  4. ^ "Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 December 2000.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Ashfield
1977–1979 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield
1982–1997 		Succeeded by


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