What are Owen Smith’s politics? All you need to know about how Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership rival has voted on key issues

OWEN Smith is now Jeremy Corbyn’s official challenger in the Labour leadership contest and to beat him will have to demolish the current leader’s mountain of personal support.

We take a look at the hopeful’s voting record to see whether Corbynistas would agree with his views on the big issues.

Owen Smith has pledged to hold a second referendum on the EU and has proposed a £200bn British New Deal investment programme

He voted against the so-called bedroom tax and against capping benefits.

To try and reduce unemployment he has voted to spend public money to create guaranteed jobs for young people who have been unemployed for a long time.

He has also voted to increase the amount of time people can claim the employment and support allowance.

Since becoming the MP for Pontypridd in 2010 he has almost always voted against raising the threshold at which people start to pay income tax and against increasing the rate of VAT.

He has voted for a banker’s bonus tax and for an annual tax on the value of expensive homes – the so-called mansion tax.

In the realm of health he has voted against NHS reforms including giving more power to GPs to commission services.

And he has also voted to reduce the amount of money an NHS foundation trust is allowed to make from private patients.

When MPs were voting on smoking bans he was absent on three occasions – but in February 2014 he was in the Chamber to vote in favour of a law banning smoking in private vehicles when someone under 18 is in the vehicle.

He voted against greater autonomy for schools, against academy schools and against raising England’s undergraduate tuition fee cap to £9,000 a year.

Mr Smith has also voted for an elected House of Lords, against having fewer MPS in the House of Commons and for more powers for local councils.