This article is about the British politician. For the singer with the American group Rising Appalachia, see Chloe Smith (musician). For the professional wrestler, see Dani Luna.
In 2007, Smith was chosen to be the Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Norwich North at the general election.[7] She then took leave from her job, working for Conservative Central Office on secondment, to "draw up detailed plans to put our policies into practice".[6]
Parliamentary career
Following the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson as a result of the MPs' expenses scandal, Smith became the Conservatives' by-election candidate. At the 2009 Norwich North by-election, Smith was elected, winning with 39.5% of the vote and a majority of 7,348.[8] Smith became the youngest member of the House of Commons.[9][10] She took her seat in the House of Commons when the parliamentary break ended in October.[11]
At the 2010 general election, Smith was re-elected as MP for Norwich North with an increased vote share of 40.6% and a decreased majority of 3,901.[12]
On 14 October 2011, she was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury in a ministerial reshuffle, becoming the youngest minister serving in government at that point.[13] According to The Guardian newspaper Smith was appointed to the role because David Cameron wrongly understood her to be a trained accountant.[14]
On 26 June 2012, she appeared on the BBC Two current affairs programme Newsnight and was interviewed about Chancellor George Osborne's decision that day to delay plans to increase fuel duty.[15]Jeremy Paxman questioned the apparent change in her views on fuel duty.[16] The interview attracted much comment, being described as a "mauling" and a "humiliation" of Smith.[17][14] Politicians, including John Prescott and Nadine Dorries, questioned Osborne's judgement for sending a junior minister onto the programme in his place.[15][18]
In August 2013, she was criticised for blocking identification of civil servants and public sector bodies responsible for £77m of flights booked through the Government Procurement Service.[19] In October 2013, she resigned from the Cabinet Office to "concentrate on the most important part of my job: being the Member of Parliament for Norwich North".[20]
In May 2014, she was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the Business Driver category for designing and conceiving the Norwich for Jobs campaign, which brought over 400 jobs and apprenticeships for young people in her constituency.[21]
During the campaign for the 2015 general election, Smith was mocked by political opponents for quoting a constituent's letter in her election literature.[22] The letter said she seemed "to act more like a Socialist than a Conservative".[23] Smith responded: "Clearly I am not a socialist. I am a proud Conservative. What the letter writer was saying was my work can appeal across party lines".[22]
At the 2015 general election, Smith was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 43.7% and an increased majority of 4,463.[24]
Smith's political stances have included support for lower taxation, increasing VAT,[32] and opposition to the Lisbon Treaty.[33] She also supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage.[34] She singles out Benjamin Disraeli as a political leader she admires.[33]
In 2013, Smith married financial consultant Sandy McFadzean.[39] They had their first child, a son, in 2016.[40] In 2019, their second child, a daughter, was born.[41]
In November 2020, Smith announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.[42] In June 2021, she announced that after chemotherapy and surgery, she was cancer-free.[43]
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