Preceded by Neil MacCormick Name Alyn Smith Nationality Scottish Role Politician | Profession Lawyer Party Scottish National Party Website alynsmith.eu | |
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Born 15 September 1973 (age 50)
Glasgow, Scotland ( 1973-09-15 ) Political party Scottish National Party Alma mater University of Leeds
Nottingham Trent University Education Nottingham Trent University, University of Leeds, Nottingham Law School Profiles | ||
Residence Edinburgh, United Kingdom | ||
‘Brexit? We didn't want it!’ says Scotland | DW News
Alyn Smith (born 15 September 1973) is a Scottish politician, and Scottish National Party Member of the European Parliament for Scotland.
Contents
- Brexit We didnt want it says Scotland DW News
- Early life and career
- Political career
- Personal life
- References
Early life and career
He was born in Glasgow in 1973 and grew up in Scotland and Saudi Arabia.
He returned to Scotland in 1986, and later studied law and European law at Leeds University and spent a year studying on the Erasmus Programme at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
He graduated from Nottingham Law School (a department of Nottingham Trent University) in 1996, and gained a master's degree in European studies from the College of Europe in Natolin (class of 1994-1995). He also for one year taught English in India and worked with Scotland Europa in Brussels.
Smith later moved to London where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial law firm Clifford Chance.
Political career
Prior to his election he worked on the SNP staff in Holyrood.
He contested Edinburgh West for the SNP at the 2001 general election, coming fourth. At the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, he contested the same seat, again coming fourth.
Smith was elected for the first time - as Scotland's youngest MEP - in the 2004 European Parliament election. He has since been re-elected twice at the 2009 European Parliament election, and 2014 European Parliament election.
He is Honorary President of both the youth wings of the SNP, the Young Scots for Independence and the Federation of Student Nationalists, as well as a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
In his first two terms in the European Parliament, Smith served as a full member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development winning the coveted Scottish Farmer Magazine award for "Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Agriculture" at the Highland Show in 2009.
Since his re-election in 2014, Smith serves as a full member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, remaining a voice in agriculture as alternate member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. He is also a full member of both the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, and the Delegation for relations with Iraq.
Personal life
Smith is openly gay - he lives in Edinburgh with his boyfriend Jonathon.