David William Smith is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Northumberland since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) since December 2024.

Parliamentary career

In July 2024, Smith voted against an amendment to abolish the two-child benefit cap. In September, he voted against an amendment condemning the government's proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for Winter Fuel Payments. Smith confirmed in November that he would vote against Kim Leadbeater MP's

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

to legalise assisted dying. He argued that "We were given a 40-page bill three weeks ago, and we've got five hours next Friday to debate it. That's simply not enough time." Further, he argued that "The second reason is principle. That's about the fear of

coercion Coercion involves compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner through the use of threats, including threats to use force against that party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to i ...

. I've spoken to doctors who've said it's almost impossible to see coercion happening, even from loved ones. The worst thing for me is the pressure people might put on themselves, feeling they're a burden. For those reasons, I'll be voting against it." In February 2025, Smith called on the Labour government to implement "meaningful tweaks" to their proposed changes to

inheritance tax International tax law distinguishes between an estate tax and an inheritance tax. An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and pro ...

in order to protect British family farms from being financially penalised under the proposed changes. He also signed and supported a petition calling on British supermarkets to adopt a "fairer deal" for British farmers. He said that "Supermarkets are claiming to support UK farmers, but their actions suggest otherwise. Farmers and growers play a vital role in securing the UK’s food sustainability, but they aren’t receiving a fair deal from the supermarkets, whose punitive and misleading practices have been going on for years without challenge."

Personal life

David Smith grew up in the west of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

but has lived in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

since 2007. He studied for degrees at both Glasgow University and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

. Smth is a practising and professing

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and previously worked at the Bible Society and Tearfund. Prior to the 2024 General Election, he led a housing charity in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

run by the Oasis Charitable Trust.

References

External links

Living people Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 2024–present Year of birth missing (living people) {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub