Who is Owen Smith? Northern Ireland secretary sacked by Jeremy Corbyn after calling for a second Brexit referendum
The outspoken politician stood against Corbyn in the Labour leadership election
OWEN Smith is the man who went up against Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership election - and now he has been sacked over calling for a second Brexit vote.
Who is the politician and what's his career history? We've got the lowdown...
Who is Owen Smith?
The son of a Welsh historian, Owen Smith was born in Morecambe, Lancashire, on May 2 1970 and grew up in Barry, Wales.
He later studied History and French at the University of Sussex.
Mr Smith lives in Pontypridd, Wales, with his wife, Liz, and their three children and is a keen support of local rugby team Pontypridd RFC.
Smith has been MP for Pontypridd, South Wales since 2010 after joining the Labour party when he was 16.
He is fiercely proud of his Welsh roots.
What is Owen Smith's career history?
Before entering politics Mr Smith started out as a BBC journalist, working in broadcast for 10 years in both Wales and London.
He then became head of policy and government relations for Viagra producer Pfizer, where he was paid £80,000 a year to lobby for the company.
His political career started in 2002 as a special advisor for Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy.
He then followed Murphy to Belfast when he was moved to the Northern Ireland Office in a reshuffle.
In 2006 he stood- and lost- as a Labour candidate for Blaenau Gwent in a by-election.
He was later elected as an MP in 2010 when Kim Howells stood down just months before the General Election.
He was named as the ‘member to watch’ at the 2010 Welsh Political Awards.
In 2012, he was promoted to Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
After Jeremy Corbyn was elected as leader of the Labour Party, he was named as new Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
In January 2016, Smith said he would be interested in eventually standing for Labour leadership.
He stood against Corbyn in the Labour leadership election, but was defeated in September 2016.
Why did Jeremy Corbyn sack Owen Smith?
Owen Smith was asked to stand down as shadow Northern Ireland secretary by the Labour leader after calling for a second Brexit referendum.
The move broke ranks with official Labour Party policy, and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the party was "not calling for a referendum at this stage".
Corbyn announced in February 2018 that Labour wanted the UK to be a permanent member of a customs union with the EU after Brexit - but Smith said this wasn't enough.
In an article for the Guardian, Smith wrote that he wanted the UK to remain members of both the customs union and the single market upon leaving the EU.
Smith is being replaced by Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd.
What has he said about being sacked?
Smith said Corbyn had made a "mistake" in firing him, saying all he had done was "stand by my principles".
He told Radio 4's Today programme: "I think it is a mistake, for Jeremy Corbyn in particular, who has always understood the value of people standing by their principles.
"It is the position that he has often adopted, and it is certainly a value in him that others have extolled."
"In truth I think that is all I have done. I have stood by my principles."
Smith added that leaving the EU was "the biggest economic crisis that our country will have faced for many, many generations".
What are Owen Smith's voting records?
Syrian airstrikes
Unlike Angela Eagle, Smith voted AGAINST Syrian airstrikes.
Brexit
Smith was a Remain campaigner and after the vote to leave he pledged that he would offer a further referendum on the final 'Brexit' deal if voted Labour leader.
Benefits
Smith and Corbyn came to blows back in September over removing the welfare benefit cap.
He called it a “‘political gimmick” and said he didn’t think the country would back “unfettered spending”.
Trident
Smith went against the party line and said he personally supported the renewal of Trident.
LATEST ON BREXIT
Coalition spending cuts
Smith has been highly critical of George Osbourne’s austerity budget and came under fire for comparing it to ‘domestic violence’.
He also called the bedroom tax “unlawful and discriminatory” and “a shameful legacy”.
During his leadership campaign launch he said "we need to be anti-austerity but we need to be pro prosperity'."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.