Alex Smith

Alex Smith (born 2 December 1943) is a former Scottish politician who served in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999. Smith was aligned with the Labour left, which was reportedly the reason he was not selected as the party's candidate in the 2000 Ayr by-election.

Early life Smith was educated at Irvine Royal Academy and worked as a gardener and then a textile worker. He became a shop steward with the Transport and General Workers' Union, and also became active in the Labour Party, chairing Cunninghame South Constituency Labour Party from 1983 until 1987, and also Irvine Trades Council.

Political career At the 1989 European Parliament election, Smith was elected for South of Scotland. Smith, alongside fellow former MEP Henry McCubbin, instead participated in the Scottish Socialist Party's campaign launch for the by-election. Smith stated that he was still a member of the Labour Party "by the skin of [his] teeth", but did not expect to continue as a Labour politician following his public support for the SSP.