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Cat Smith

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Cat Smith
MP
Smith in 2020
Shadow Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 January 2020
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer
Preceded byJo Platt
Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 June 2016
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer
Preceded byGloria De Piero
Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
In office
20 December 2016 – 18 July 2017
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer
Preceded byMelanie Onn
Succeeded byKarin Smyth
Member of Parliament
for Lancaster and Fleetwood
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byEric Ollerenshaw
Majority2,380 (5.2%)
Personal details
Born
Catherine Jane Smith

(1985-06-16) 16 June 1985 (age 39)
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Ben Soffa
​
(m. 2016)​
Alma materLancaster University
WebsiteOfficial website

Catherine Jane Smith[1] (born 16 June 1985)[2] is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lancaster and Fleetwood since 2015.[3]

Early life and education

Smith was born in Barrow-in-Furness. In 2015, she told Lancs Live that she "didn't have a political upbringing". Her mother was a methodist, and through going to church with her Smith became involved youth movements in the church. Her father was a trade unionist.[4] She attended Parkview School (in 2009 this merged into Furness Academy) and Barrow Sixth Form College. In 2003, she began studying for a bachelor's degree at Lancaster University. She was a member of Cartmel College and graduated with a joint honours degree in sociology and gender studies in 2006.[5] Smith was elected the Women's Officer for Lancaster University Students' Union, a sabbatical role, and served in the 2006–2007 academic year.[5]

Political career

Early political career

Smith first stood for election as a Labour Party candidate for the University Ward on Lancaster City Council in 2007. She came fifth with 98 votes.[4] Smith supported John McDonnell for leader in the 2007 Labour Party leadership election.[6] In the same year, she was a candidate for Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC) Youth Representative.[7]

Smith worked as an office manager for the Christian Socialist Movement from 2007 to 2009 before working as a research and constituency worker for three Members of Parliament (MPs) from 2009 to 2012: Jeremy Corbyn, Katy Clark, and Bob Marshall-Andrews.[5] Smith was the Labour Party candidate for Wyre and Preston North constituency in the 2010 general election, but she was unsuccessful and came in a narrow third behind the Liberal Democrat candidate. In 2020 she told Lancs Live, "I had been called because there was no Wyre and Preston candidate for Labour... I wasn't expecting to win but I was happy to make the case for Labour to the consistuents."[4]

In 2010–2011, Smith was chair of Compass Youth.[8] In 2011, a majority of the Compass Youth committee, including Smith, resigned in protest at Compass' decision to become a cross-party body. Those that resigned set up a new organisation called Next Generation Labour, which Smith was chair of for a period.[9] From 2012 to 2015, Smith worked as a campaigns and policy officer for the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). In 2013, she was selected as the Labour candidate to contest Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency at the next election.[5]

Member of Parliament

Smith won Lancaster and Fleetwood in the 2015 general election, defeating the Conservative incumbent Eric Ollerenshaw.[5] Following Labour's overall defeat in the 2015 election, party leader Ed Miliband resigned. In the ensuing leadership election, Smith was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn for leader.[10]

She has been critical of the 2016 European Union referendum, saying that younger people preferred to remain in the EU, while the majority result was to leave.[11]

Shadow Minister

Corbyn soon appointed Smith to be Minister for Women in the Shadow Equalities Office, where she served under Kate Green. On 27 June 2016 Smith entered the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs.[12] This followed on from a series of resignations of shadow ministers who had lost confidence in Corbyn's leadership.[13] On 6 April 2020, Smith was re-appointed to her shadow cabinet role by the newly elected Labour Party Leader, Keir Starmer.[citation needed]

In addition to her other duties, Smith acts as Shadow Deputy Leader of the House, in which role she made her debut at the Despatch Box on 20 December 2016.[14]

Expenses

On 24 May 2016, Lancashire Constabulary announced that an investigation had been opened following allegations that Smith broke election spending laws by spending thousands of pounds more than she declared.[15][16] In June 2016, Lancashire Constabulary were granted a year-long extension to investigate Smith's election expenses,[17] and in November 2016 they cleared Smith of any wrongdoing.[18]

Personal life

In September 2016 Smith married Ben Soffa, her partner of eleven years.[19] In July 2018 she gave birth to the couple's first child.[20]

In 2019 Smith revealed she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) which had effected her energy levels, but that she used medication to control the condition.[21]

Smith is a Methodist.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Lancaster City Council. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Biography for Cat Smith". MyParliament. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Lancaster & Fleetwood". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Moffitt, Dominic (15 March 2020). "Why Lancaster and Fleetwood MP Cat Smith never wanted a career in politics". Lancs Live. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e Foster, Dawn (26 September 2017). "Cat Smith MP: 'Tory policies have led to a huge waste of potential'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Smith, Cat (12 May 2009). "You've made your bed; now lie in it". LabourList. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Interview with Labour Party NEC Youth Rep candidates". Compass Youth. 4 February 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Smith, Cat (22 December 2010). "Compass Youth – sticking with the Labour Party". LabourList. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Smith, Cat (13 June 2011). ""Next Generation Labour" launched". LabourList. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election?". New Statesman. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "Lancaster MP Cat Smith says voters have been misled yet again". Lancaster Guardian. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  12. ^ "MP Cat Smith promoted to shadow cabinet". Lancaster Evening Post. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Labour Shadow Cabinet resignations". The Guardian. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Commons Debates 20 December 2016, Column 1408". Hansard. 20 December 2016.
  15. ^ Staff writer (24 May 2016). "Labour MP Cat Smith denies improper expenses claim". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  16. ^ Casalicchio, Emilio (24 May 2016). "Police probe into Labour frontbencher Cat Smith's election expenses". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  17. ^ Crick, Michael (13 June 2016). "Did Labour's Battlebus operation break the rules?". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Police drop Lancaster MP expenses investigation". The Bay Radio. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Barrow-born MP weds her partner with Labour leader among the guests". North West Evening Mail. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  20. ^ "Lancaster and Fleetwood MP Cat Smith has given birth to a baby boy". Lancaster Guardian. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  21. ^ @catsmithmp (1 January 2020). "2010: got diagnosis of POTS and with medication started feeling great! Used new energy to..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Hansard" (PDF). publications.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 2 January 2016. Lancaster is famous for its nonconformist residents, so as a Methodist I feel I am in good company. I am pleased to be making my maiden speech in the debate on Britain in the world, because it was my faith that led me into politics, through the campaigns to drop third world debt and the campaign for fair trade.
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Preceded by Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Fleetwood
2015–present 		Incumbent
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2016–present 		Incumbent

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