Geraldine Smith

Maria Geraldine Smith (born 29 August 1961) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Morecambe and Lunesdale from 1997 to 2010.

For the actress, see Geraldine Smith (actress).

Geraldine Smith
Member of Parliament
for Morecambe and Lunesdale
In office
1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byMark Lennox-Boyd
Succeeded byDavid Morris
Personal details
Born
Maria Geraldine Smith

(1961-08-29) 29 August 1961
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour

Early life

She was educated at Morecambe High School and Lancaster and Morecambe College, where she gained a Diploma in Business Studies. Her first campaign was supported by the Communication Workers Union, for which she was formerly an officer. Prior to becoming an MP, she worked for the Royal Mail from 1980 to 1997, and was a member of Lancaster City Council.

Parliamentary career

After the Labour Party's poor showing in the local government elections of 4 May 2006 she was linked to a campaign[1] on a timetable for Tony Blair's departure as Prime Minister and also expressed a preference for Gordon Brown to succeed him. She also found "outrageous" the survival of John Prescott as a government minister following the reshuffle.[2] For this criticism of the Deputy Prime Minister's behaviour, as well as for her defence of the Chinese Cockle Pickers rights in her Morecambe constituency, Richard Littlejohn described her as a "heroic MP" on the BBC's Question Time programme on 4 May 2006. She said that she believed William Hague would be the next Conservative Prime Minister, rather than David Cameron.[3] In August 2009, she criticised the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 which conferred legal parenthood on a biological mother's female partner, saying "To have a birth certificate with two mothers and no father is just madness."[4] Smith was a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Flag Group.[5]

On Wednesday 17 September 2008, Smith was interviewed by Tony Livesey on BBC Radio Lancashire's Breakfast Show; she attacked the so-called "Lancashire Mafia" for their plot against Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and accused those behind the scenes of being cowards.

Smith narrowly lost her seat to the Conservative David Morris in the general election in May 2010.

Personal life

Geraldine Smith is the Patron of the Morecambe Bay National Osteoporosis Society Support Group.

Geraldine Smith was the President of 455 (Morecambe and Heysham) Squadron Air Training Corps until 2010 when she regretfully to its members stood down after a number of years as an ambassador to youth development in the area. The Air Training Corps is a youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Air Force for local youth between the ages of 13 and 18 giving them opportunities to learn new skills and support their local community.

References
  1. "Blair backs down on 'full term' pledge but refuses to set a date". The Independent. 9 May 2006.
  2. "Outrage over Prescott role". The Telegraph. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2006.
  3. "11 Mar 2008 : Column 172". www.parliament.uk. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
  4. "Lesbian partners to be named on birth certificates". The Guardian. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  5. "Union Flag At Parliament". Early Day Motions. UK Parliament. 29 March 2010.

News items

Audio clips
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Mark Lennox-Boyd		 Member of Parliament for Morecambe and Lunesdale
1997 – 2010		 Succeeded by
David Morris
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