Andrew J. Smith Biography

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Andrew David Smith (born February 1, 1952, near Reading) is a British politician for the Labour Party, and a former member of the Cabinet.

He is MP for Oxford East, which he won in 1987 from the Conservative Party. After Labour's victory in the 1997 general election he was made a minister in the Department for Education and Employment. He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1999 to 2002, when he became Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; he resigned from this post on September 6, 2004, to spend more time with his family. He won re-election in his Oxford East seat in the 2005 General Election, but saw his majority slashed by 90%.

He is best remembered by some for his opposing of the privatisation of air traffic control in 1996 stating "Our air is not for sale" only for Labour to switch policies and thereby propose a public-private partnership for the National Air Traffic Services. Others point to his stewardship of the Department of Work & Pensions and his focus on reducing child poverty when Minister there.

His wife Val Smith is a county councillor on Oxfordshire County Council and a former city councillor on Oxford City Council.

External links

• Andrew Smith MP official site
  
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Andrew Smith MP
  
• They Work For You - Andrew Smith MP
  

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