Alyn Smith
Alyn Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Scotland | |
| Assumed office 10 June 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Neil MacCormick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1973 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Residence | Edinburgh |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds Nottingham Trent University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | alynsmith.eu |
Alyn Smith (born 15 September 1973) is a Scottish politician, and Scottish National Party Member of the European Parliament for Scotland.
He is also the SNP's agricultural spokesman.
Early life and career
He was born in Glasgow in 1973 and grew up in Scotland and Saudi Arabia.
He returned to Scotland in 1986, and later studied Law and European Law at Leeds University and spent a year studying on the Erasmus Programme at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
He graduated from Nottingham Law School (a department of Nottingham Trent University) in 1996, and gained a Master's degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Natolin (class of 1994-1995). He also for one year taught English in India and worked with Scotland Europa [1] in Brussels.
Smith later moved to London where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial law firm Clifford Chance.
Political career
Prior to his election he worked on the SNP staff in Holyrood.
He contested Edinburgh West for the SNP at the 2001 general election, coming fourth. At the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, he contested the same seat, again coming fourth.
Smith was elected for the first time - as Scotland's youngest MEP - in the 2004 European Parliament election. He has since been re-elected twice at the 2009 European Parliament election, and 2014 European Parliament election.
He is Honorary President of both the youth wings of the SNP, the Young Scots for Independence and the Federation of Student Nationalists, as well as a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
In his first two terms in the European Parliament, Smith served as a full member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development winning the coveted Scottish Farmer Magazine award for "Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Agriculture" at the Highland Show in 2009.
Since his re-election in 2014, Smith serves as a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, remaining a voice in agriculture as alternate member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. He is also a full member of both the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, and the Delegation for relations with Iraq.[1]
Personal life
Smith is openly gay - he lives in Edinburgh with his boyfriend Jonathon.[2]
See also
- Ian Hudghton MEP (SNP)
References
- ^ "About Alyn Smith". alynsmith.eu. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
- ^ "Alyn Smith MEP: About Alyn".
External links
- Official website
- Alyn Smith MEP SNP website
- Alyn Smith MEP European Parliament website
- The Greens/European Free Alliance Group
Template:Members of the European Parliament 2004–2009 Template:Members of the European Parliament 2009–2014
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Leeds
- Alumni of Nottingham Trent University
- Politicians from Glasgow
- Members of the European Parliament for Scottish constituencies
- College of Europe alumni
- Scottish National Party MEPs
- MEPs for the United Kingdom 2004–09
- MEPs for the United Kingdom 2009–14
- MEPs for the United Kingdom 2014–19
- LGBT politicians from Scotland
- Heidelberg University alumni
- Scottish solicitors
- Gay politicians