Julian Smith (politician)

{{About|the British politician|other people with the same name|Julian Smith (disambiguation){{!}}Julian Smith}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = Sir Julian Smith

| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CBE|MP}}

| image = Official portrait of Julian Smith crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2017

| office = Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

| primeminister = Boris Johnson

| term_start = 24 July 2019

| term_end = 13 February 2020

| predecessor = Karen Bradley

| successor = Brandon Lewis

| office1 = Chief Whip of the House of Commons
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

| primeminister1 = Theresa May

| term_start1 = 2 November 2017

| term_end1 = 24 July 2019

| predecessor1 = Gavin Williamson

| successor1 = Mark Spencer

| office2 = Government Deputy Chief Whip
Treasurer of the Household

| primeminister2 = Theresa May

| term_start2 = 13 June 2017

| term_end2 = 2 November 2017

| predecessor2 = Anne Milton

| successor2 = Esther McVey

| office3 = Junior Government Whip
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household

| primeminister3 = Theresa May

| term_start3 = 17 July 2016

| term_end3 = 13 June 2017

| predecessor3 = Kris Hopkins

| successor3 = Chris Heaton-Harris

| office5 = Member of Parliament
for Skipton and Ripon

| term_start5 = 6 May 2010

| term_end5 =

| predecessor5 = David Curry

| successor5 =

| majority5 = 1,650 (3.2%)

| birth_name = Julian Richard Smith

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|8|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Stirling, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = British

| spouse =

| party = Conservative

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Birmingham

| occupation =

| profession =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| website = [https://juliansmith.org.uk/ Official website]

| footnotes =

}}

Sir Julian Richard Smith {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CBE}} (born 30 August 1971) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Skipton and Ripon since 2010. He served as Government Chief Whip from 2017 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2019 to 2020.

He was the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 2016 to 2017 and Government Deputy Chief Whip in 2017. He served in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet as Chief Whip of the House of Commons from November 2017 to July 2019.

He served in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary from 2019 to 2020. He successfully negotiated the New Decade, New Approach agreement with Tánaiste Simon Coveney, which restored the power-sharing government of the Northern Ireland Executive after three years without devolution at Stormont.{{cite web |title=Deal To See Restored Government In Northern Ireland Tomorrow |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deal-to-see-restored-government-in-northern-ireland-tomorrow |website=GOV.UK |date=9 January 2020 |accessdate=23 April 2020 |language=en}}

Early life and education

Julian Smith was born on 30 August 1971 in Stirling.[http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/julian-smith Julian Smith: Biography] Publisher: Politics.co.uk Retrieved: 14 March 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251375/ |title=Julian Smith |publisher=Who's Who |access-date=3 June 2011}} He was educated at the comprehensive Balfron High School in Balfron, followed by a sixth-form bursary to Millfield School, an independent school in Street, Somerset. He then studied English and History at the University of Birmingham.

Parliamentary career

At the 2010 general election, Smith was elected as MP for Skipton and Ripon with 50.6% of the vote and a majority of 9,950.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite web |date=7 May 2010 |title=UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Skipton & Ripon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e03.stm |access-date=11 May 2010 |work=Election 2010 |publisher=BBC}}

In Parliament, he served on the Scottish Affairs Committee for a brief period in 2010{{cite web|title=Julian Smith|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/julian-smith/4118|website=Parliament UK|access-date=7 April 2015}} and was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for International Development, from September 2010 to 2012. Smith was subsequently Parliamentary Private Secretary to Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development, from 2012 to May 2015.

In October 2013, The Guardian alleged that Smith may have breached national security by posting an image on his website of himself alongside military personnel.{{cite news |date=25 October 2013 |title=Did Conservative MP Julian Smith endanger national security? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/25/conservative-mp-julian-smith-national-security-nsa-leaks |access-date=7 April 2015 |publisher=Guardian}} Smith had previously asked questions in Parliament about whether The Guardian{{'}}s handling of intelligence material leaked by Edward Snowden had breached national security. He reported the newspaper to the police. Smith argued the newspaper should be investigated as it had "endangered" British security personnel by publishing leaked information.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Julian |date=22 October 2013 |title=Julian Smith MP: The Guardian's impact on national security |url=https://www.politicshome.com/foreign-and-defence/articles/opinion/julian-smith-mp-guardian%E2%80%99s-impact-national-security |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415015223/https://www.politicshome.com/foreign-and-defence/articles/opinion/julian-smith-mp-guardian%E2%80%99s-impact-national-security |archive-date=15 April 2015 |access-date=7 April 2015 |publisher=Politics Home}}

Smith was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Skipton and Ripon at the 2015 general election with an increased vote share of 55.4% and an increased majority of 20,761.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite news |title=Skipton & Ripon |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000928 |access-date=13 May 2015 |publisher=BBC News}} Following the general election, Smith was appointed an Assistant Government Whip in David Cameron's Second Ministry.{{cite web|title=Her Majesty's Government|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/her-majestys-government-12-may-2015|website=Gov.UK|access-date=13 May 2015}}

Following the European Union membership referendum on 23 June and David Cameron's resignation as Prime Minister, Smith was one of six MPs who led the leadership campaign on behalf of the Home Secretary, Theresa May.{{cite web|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/weekend/2016/07/18/interview-chief-whip-gavin-williamson-mp-on-his-factory-worker-beginnings-and-recent-promotion/|title=Interview: Chief Whip Gavin Williamson MP on his factory worker beginnings and recent promotion |work= Express & Star|date=18 July 2016 |access-date=19 September 2016}} After May became Prime Minister on 13 July 2016, Smith was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.{{cite news|url=http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/14624123.Skipton_MP_Julian_Smith_given_key_promotion_in_the_Government_of_new_Prime_Minister_Theresa_May_/?ref=mr&lp=2|title=Skipton MP Julian Smith given key promotion in the Government of new Prime Minister Theresa May|date=17 July 2016|newspaper=Craven Herald & Pioneer|access-date=18 July 2016}}

At the snap 2017 general election, Smith was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 62.7% and a decreased majority of 19,985.{{cite news |title=Skipton & Ripon parliamentary constituency - Election 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000928 |via=www.bbc.co.uk}} After the election, he served as Deputy Chief Whip to Gavin Williamson from June 2017 to November 2017 and then, on 2 November 2017, he was appointed Chief Whip of the House of Commons.

Smith was strongly critical of Theresa May's cabinet's behaviour following the 2017 election, saying the government should have made clear that it would "inevitably" have to accept a softer Brexit. He accused ministers of trying to destabilise and undermine May.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47768884|title=Chief whip attacks cabinet's Brexit strategy|date=1 April 2019|accessdate=1 April 2019}}

On 19 July 2018, Smith was reported to be resisting calls to resign his position as Government Chief Whip, following allegations that he had instructed five Conservative MPs to break pairing agreements in an important parliamentary vote the previous day. Only one MP, Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis, complied with the instruction. Subsequent reports indicated that Smith had given similar instructions to four other MPs, but Lewis had been the only one willing to break what one commentator described later as "a centuries old 'code of honour'". Before it became known that the affair had involved approaches by Smith to more than one MP, Prime Minister Theresa May backed Lewis, stating that "The breaking of the pair was done in error. It wasn't good enough and will not be repeated."{{cite web |author1=Joe Murphy |author2=Nicholas Cecil |date=19 July 2018 |title=Tory chief whip Julian Smith urged to quit over pairing deal 'error' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tory-chief-whip-julian-smith-urged-to-quit-over-pairing-deal-error-a3891301.html |access-date=19 July 2018 |publisher=Evening Standard, London}}

Smith was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 59.5% and an increased majority of 23,694.{{cite web |date=14 November 2019 |title=Statement of persons nominated and notice of poll |url=https://www.cravendc.gov.uk/media/8793/statement-of-persons-nominated-and-notice-of-poll.pdf |access-date=15 November 2019 |publisher=Craven District Council}}

In February 2022 Smith called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to withdraw insinuations that Opposition Leader Keir Starmer had culpably failed to prosecute notorious sex offender Jimmy Savile in his previous role as Director of Public Prosecutions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/01/boris-johnson-keir-starmer-jimmy-savile-smear-julian-smith|title=Speaker rebukes Boris Johnson for remarks about Starmer and Savile|date=1 February 2022|website=The Guardian}}

At the 2024 general election, Smith was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 35.2% and a decreased majority of 1,650.{{cite news |title=Julian Smith holds the Skipton and Ripon seat for the Conservatives |url=https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/24432578.julian-smith-holds-skipton-ripon-seat-conservatives/ |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=Craven Herald |date=5 July 2024 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Skipton and Ripon results |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001475 |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=BBC News}}

= Secretary of State for Northern Ireland =

Smith was made Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when Boris Johnson assumed the role of Prime Minister. Under his tenure devolved power-sharing was restored in January 2020. Smith was sacked as Northern Ireland Secretary in Johnson's post-Brexit reshuffle.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51487695|title=Julian Smith sacked as NI Secretary by Boris Johnson|date=13 February 2020|access-date=13 February 2020|work=BBC News}} After being sacked, Smith accepted paid appointments advising companies that did business there.{{Cite web |date=10 November 2021 |title=Ex-Northern Ireland secretary faces scrutiny over £144,000 a year advisory roles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/10/northern-ireland-julian-smith-scrutiny-advisory-roles-conservative |website=The Guardian}}

File:Boris Johnson and Julian Smith visits N Ireland.jpg (right) visit Northern Ireland in July 2019]]

The decision to dismiss Smith as Northern Ireland Secretary was criticised by a number of prominent political figures in Northern Ireland, including SDLP leader Colum Eastwood who described the move as showing "dangerous indifference" by the Prime Minister.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51487695|title=Julian Smith sacked as NI Secretary by Boris Johnson|website=BBC News|date=13 February 2020|access-date=13 February 2020}} Smith had been widely seen as instrumental in securing a cross-party deal to restore the Northern Ireland Executive, after three years without a devolved government in Stormont.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/cabinet-s-women-hit-hardest-in-boris-johnson-s-first-reshuffle-f3snfp6wd|title=Boris Johnson fires Julian Smith, minister who secured Stormont deal|author1=Elliott, Francis|author2=Swinford, Steven|newspaper=The Times|date=13 February 2020|access-date=13 February 2020}} Tributes to Smith's tenure as Northern Ireland Secretary were paid by NI First Minister Arlene Foster and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Both praised him for his role in ending the political deadlock.{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/julian-smith-sacked-from-northern-ireland-post-in-boris-johnsons-cabinet-reshuffle-38953001.html|title=Julian Smith sacked from Northern Ireland post in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle|date=13 February 2020|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|author=Edwards, Mark|access-date=13 February 2020}}{{cite tweet |user= LeoVaradkar |number=1227917665697697793 |date=13 February 2020 |title=In 8 months as Secretary of State, Julian you helped to restore powersharing in Stormont, secured an agreement with us to avoid a hard border, plus marriage equality. You are one of Britain's finest politicians of our time. Thank you|access-date=13 February 2020}}

Some political commentators expressed their surprise at Smith's dismissal, given his perceived success. It was suggested that Smith's testimony to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in October 2019, in which he described a potential no-deal Brexit as being "a very, very bad idea for Northern Ireland",{{cite news|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/uk-regions/northern-ireland/news/107480/julian-smith-breaks-ranks-boris-johnson-brand-no|title=Julian Smith breaks ranks with Boris Johnson to brand no-deal Brexit 'very bad' for Northern Ireland|date=23 October 2019|website=PoliticsHome|author=Mairs, Nicholas|access-date=13 February 2020}} had influenced the decision to remove him from his position.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-news-live-cabinet-reshuffle-brexit-gove-rees-mogg-latest-today-a9332876.html|title=Boris Johnson news – live: PM axes Tory minister who helped secure Stormont deal, as fresh questions raised over £15,000 Caribbean holiday|author=Forrest, Adam|date=13 February 2020|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=13 February 2020}} Stephen Bush, political editor of the New Statesman, speculated that the consequence of Johnson's removal of Smith would be the destabilisation of the new power-sharing agreement and increased difficulty in negotiating the details of the "New Protocol".{{cite news|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/julian-smith-northern-ireland-secretary-sacked-cabinet-reshuffle-boris-johnson-most-important|title=Boris Johnson has already made the most important sacking of today's reshuffle|date=13 February 2020|author=Bush, Stephen|newspaper=New Statesman|access-date=13 February 2020}}

Honours

On 4 July 2024, Smith was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2024 Dissolution Honours for political and public service.{{London Gazette |date=7 August 2024 |issue=64480 |page=15222 |supp=y}}{{cite press release |title=Dissolution Honours 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dissolution-honours-2024 |website=GOV.UK |language=en |date=4 July 2024 |access-date=4 July 2024}}