Jacqui Smith

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Jacqui Smith
Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

Jacqui Smith is a former UK Labour Party home secretary (2007-2009), chief government whip and minister for schools (2005-2006). She was the member of parliament for Redditch from 1997 until May 2010.

In 2015 Smith was appointed chair of public affairs for UK lobbying firm Westbourne Communications. [1] On her appointment she said:

'I’m attracted to the way Westbourne works because I’m passionate about campaigning and making a difference. It’s the same approach I always took to my elected politics – building broad coalitions, making arguments and bringing the public along with you. [..] You change people’s opinion by taking the public with you, not by sidelining them, and by being open about what you’re doing. There’s nothing shady about me bringing my political experience and commitment to the political process to work at Westbourne.' [2]

Revolving door

Revolving Door.jpg This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.


After leaving politics Smith became a consultant for one of the Big Four accountancy firms, KPMG in October 2010, a position that was cleared by the prime minister's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.[3] She held this until June 2011. [4] According to the Daily Mail, KPMG had "won an important government contract while Smith was Home Secretary when it was commissioned to carry out a major study into whether drink industry giants were breaking guidelines on the sale of alcohol". [5]

In February 2015 lobbying firm Westbourne Communications appointed Smith to chair its public affairs practice. [6]

Affiliations

Resources

See: Fracking lobbying firms

Notes

  1. Anna Reynolds, Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith hired by Westbourne Communications, PRWeek, 17 February 2015, accessed 5 December 2016.
  2. Anna Reynolds, Jacqui Smith: 'I haven't left politics, I've left Parliament', 9 March 2015, accessed 5 December 2016.
  3. Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Twelfth Annual Report, 2010-2011
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Jacqui Smith, LinkedIn profile, acc 11 June 2013
  5. Geoffrey Levy, Tony's cronies and snouts in the trough: How one-time Labour bigwigs are raking it in thanks to the private sector, 10 June 2011, acc 28 Sept 2011
  6. Anna Reynolds Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith hired by Westbourne Communications PR Week, 17 February 2015, accessed 26 February 2015