Royston Smith (politician)
| Royston Smith GM MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen | |
|
Assumed office 8 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John Denham |
| Majority | 2,316 (5.2%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 May 1964 |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Website | Official website |
Royston Matthew Smith[1] GM is an English Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Southampton, Itchen since winning the seat at the 2015 general election.[2]
Career outside politics
He was an ground engineer in the Royal Air Force (RAF) for ten years, flying as a ground and flight engineer in Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. He subsequently worked for British Airways.[2]
2011 HMS Astute shooting
In April 2011, Smith conducted a civic tour of the submarine HMS Astute as leader of Southampton City Council when a sailor ran amok and started shooting, killing an officer. Smith tackled the gunman and brought him down so that he could be restrained and disarmed.[3]
We were in the control room when someone entered and there was an exchange of words. He [the gunman] stepped out with another man and two shots were fired and then he entered the control room again and began shooting again... He had a magazine with 30 rounds in it so I took the view that someone had to stop him. I pushed him against the wall and we wrestled, then I pushed him into another wall which resulted in him going to the ground and I managed to get the weapon from him and threw it aside under a table. I shouted for someone to help as I held him down and my chief executive was the first to come, and he did a remarkable job of restraining him.— Royston Smith, BBC interview [3]
For this act of bravery, he was awarded the George Medal by the Queen.[4]
Political career
Smith had represented Harefield Ward on Southampton City Council since 2000, which he had formerly led.[5]
He first contested the Itchen seat at the 2010 general election, being defeated by Labour's John Denham by only 192 votes. Smith was elected at the 2015 general election with a majority of 2,316 votes.reference[6]
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 61230. p. 9122. 18 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Royston Smith, Conservative, Southampton Itchen". Southampton: Daily Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- 1 2 Council boss 'disarmed gunman' on nuclear submarine, BBC, 8 April 2011
- ↑ George Medals for men who tackled gunman Ryan Donovan, BBC, 21 November 2012
- ↑ "About Royston". Roystonsmith.co.uk. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
- ↑ "Southampton Itchen Parliamentary constituency". Election 2015. BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Denham |
Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen 2015–present |
Incumbent |