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Owen Smith Details Profile Career Party ,Who is Owen Smith,Owen Smith British Politician, Labour Party,United Kindom

Owen Smith Details Profile Career Political Party ,Who is Owen Smith,Owen Smith British Politician, Labour Party,United Kindom

Age: 46

Educated: Coedylan Primary School, Pontypridd, comprehensive schools in Pontypridd and Barry, University of Sussex, where he studied history and French

Family: Married to Liz with three children - Jack, 17, Evan, 15, and Isabelle, 13

Parliamentary career: MP for Pontypridd since 2010, former shadow work and pensions secretary

Job before politics: BBC producer, lobbyist for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer

Policies: Raise the top rate of income tax to 50%, write a commitment to tackling inequality into Labour's constitution, £200bn plan to build new infrastructure and council housing. Backs Trident nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. In contrast to Mr Corbyn, has said he would be prepared to press the nuclear button. Would be "tempted" to call a second EU referendum. Wants to increase the involvement of Labour members in policy decisions.

Early Life:

  1. Smith was born in Lancashire and raised in south Wales.
  2. He attended a state school before studying French and History at the University of Sussex.
  3. Smith has been the MP for Pontypridd since 2010 - meaning he does not boast years of experience as a parliamentarian.
  4. He resigned as shadow work and pensions secretary last month as part of the party revolt against Jeremy Corbyn.
  5. Prior to pursuing a career in politics, Smith was a producer for BBC Wales and lobbyist for pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

What does he stand for?

  1. Smith describes himself as being "on the left of Labour" - somewhere between Eagle's centrism and the Corbyn's hard socialism. It is for this reason that some believe he may be able to win over some Corbyn supporters."It is not enough just to be anti-austerity, you have got to be pro-something and I am pro-prosperity," he said.
  2. As shadow work and pensions secretary, he strongly opposed the government's planned cuts to tax credits and disability benefits. In March this year, he asked former government minister Iain Duncan Smith "how he sleeps at night" in reference to planned cuts to disability support.
  3. His critics point to the fact that he abstained in a Commons vote on the government's contentious welfare bill last year. He has since described the decision as a "mistake."