Dougie Smith
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Douglas Smith (born May 1962) is a British political advisor who has worked as a senior Conservative Party aide for British prime ministers
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
,
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, although according to ''The Daily Telegraph'' his precise role is uncertain. He was formerly a political advisor to Sir James Mancham, former
President of Seychelles This article contains a list of President (government title), presidents of the Seychelles, Republic of Seychelles. Term limits As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Seychelles. The term limit has not ...
, and Sir
James Goldsmith Sir James Michael Goldsmith (26 February 1933 – 18 July 1997) was a French-British financier and politician who was a member of the Goldsmith family. His controversial business and finance career led to ongoing clashes with British media, fr ...
.


Early life and education

Smith was born in May 1962 in Scotland. His father, Malcolm Smith, ran a business making
life jacket A personal flotation device (PFD; also referred to as a life jacket, life preserver, life belt, Mae West, life vest, life saver, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a flotation device in the form of a vest or suit that is worn by a u ...
s and other nautical equipment. He studied at the
University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...
but dropped out before completing his degree. While at university in 1985, Smith was elected vice-chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students (FCS); however, his election was declared null and void as he had incorrectly claimed to be a student at Napier Technical College. He was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill fellow FCS member Toby Baxendale. Smith was a leading member of FCS's
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
faction, however the FCS was disbanded in 1986 by then party chairman
Norman Tebbit Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, (born 29 March 1931) is a British retired politician. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment (1981–1 ...
who, according to ''The Daily Telegraph'', "decided it was too Right-wing even for him".


Career

Smith previously worked at the
think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
the
Adam Smith Institute The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) is a UK-based neoliberal think tank and lobbying group, named after Adam Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher and classical economist. The Institute advocates free market and classical liberal ideas, primarily ...
, and later the Committee for a Free Britain and Sir
James Goldsmith Sir James Michael Goldsmith (26 February 1933 – 18 July 1997) was a French-British financier and politician who was a member of the Goldsmith family. His controversial business and finance career led to ongoing clashes with British media, fr ...
's Referendum Party. He was formerly a political advisor to former
President of Seychelles This article contains a list of President (government title), presidents of the Seychelles, Republic of Seychelles. Term limits As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Seychelles. The term limit has not ...
Sir James Mancham. He served as an advisor to numerous senior right-wing figures including Sir James Goldsmith, and wrote speeches for a number of Conservative Members of Parliament. Smith was the co-ordinator of Conservatives for Change (Cchange), a Tory think tank founded in 2002. He is a
Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...
. For at least five years from 1998, he ran Fever Parties, an organisation which hosted "five-star" swinger parties. When this knowledge became public, he asserted that his private and political activities did not overlap (and likened his clients to the " SAS of sex"). A senior Conservative Party aide, he worked as a speechwriter for
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
and a Tory party headquarter's activist under
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
, before later working for
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
in an unknown role. In 2019,
Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage ( ; born 3 April 1964) is a British politician and broadcaster who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton (UK Parliament constituency), Clacton and Leader of Reform UK since 20 ...
, then the Leader of the Brexit Party, alleged that Smith was involved in intimidation and offering bribes in exchange for political candidates stepping down. According to former cabinet member Nadine Dorries, in her 2023 book ''The Plot'', Smith is a member of a small and influential group of men seeking to control the activities of the Conservative Party from within.


Personal life

Smith married Munira Mirza, a political advisor and long-time ally of Boris Johnson, in 2008. They have a son, Robbie, born in 2013.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Dougie 1962 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) officials 21st-century Scottish people Scottish Eurosceptics British speechwriters