Cat Smith

Cat Smith first entered the House of Commons in 2015 and has since been a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. Having studied Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Lancaster, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood worked for Corbyn before her entry to parliament and was one of the 36 Labour MPs to nominate him in the 2015 leadership election. In June 2016, Corbyn rewarded Smith with a frontbench position as shadow cabinet office minister with responsibility for voter engagement and youth affairs. Smith says she prioritises campaigning against Conservative austerity measures, which she claims, “have seen the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”, as well as dealing with a range of local issues. Smith was also one of 117 MPs to vote in favour of the unsuccessful September 2015 Assisted Dying Bill. Smith sided with Remain in the 2016 referendum but has since said that she “shares [Corbyn’s] Euroscepticism.” Even so, she has criticised the Leave campaign saying, “it’s disappointing that voters have been misled yet again.” She has also commented that young people “feel a bit robbed” by the result that a clear majority of them voted against. Given her loyalty to the Labour leadership in her first four years in parliament, it is unsurprising that Smith backed Rebecca Long-Bailey during the 2020 Labour leadership election. Smith currently sits on the speaker’s committee on the electoral commission and remains shadow minister for young people and voter engagement.