Tim Smith (British politician)

In 1977, Smith was selected as Conservative candidate for the Labour seat of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire at the by-election that had been called following the resignation of David Marquand. Ashfield was regarded as a safe seat for Labour, but on 28 April, Smith won an upset victory when he overturned Marquand's October 1974 majority of 22,915^[1] to win by 264 votes^[2] over Labour's Michael Cowan. However, Smith was unable to hold the seat in the 1979 general election.

He was selected to contest the 1982 Beaconsfield by-election, in which he defeated the Labour candidate, future Prime Minister Tony Blair. Smith was thereafter returned as MP by the Beaconsfield constituency at each general election until 1997.

During the "cash-for-questions affair" it was revealed that he had taken undeclared payments of between £18,000 and £25,000 from Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of Harrods, much of it allegedly handed over in envelopes stuffed with £50 notes.^[3] In May 1997, at the subsequent general election, Smith stood down and left politics altogether.

On 3 July 1997, he was found guilty by Sir Gordon Downey of taking cash for questions from Al Fayed, along with Neil Hamilton. The report severely criticised the conduct of both Hamilton and Smith whilst they had been MPs, and said that had they remained MPs they would have faced a substantial suspension from the House of Commons.^[4]

Smith now lives in Boyton, Cornwall.

• 1977 Ashfield by-election
• 1982 Beaconsfield by-election