1. Alyn Edward Smith was born on 15 September 1973 and is a Scottish politician.
21 Facts About Alyn Smith
1. 2.
Alyn Smith served as a Member of the European Parliament for Scotland from 2004 to 2019.
3.
Alyn Smith has been serving as SNP Spokesperson for Europe and EU Accession since December 2022.
4.
Alyn Smith spent a year studying on the Erasmus Programme at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
5.
Alyn Smith gained a master's degree in European studies from the College of Europe in Natolin, Warsaw in 1995.
6.
Alyn Smith later moved to London, where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial solicitors law firm Clifford Chance, working with them from 1997 to 1999.
7.
Alyn Smith was with another solicitors firm, Anderson Strathern, from 2000 to 2002.
8.
Alyn Smith was a director of Turning Point Scotland from 2011 to 2015, and a trustee of LGBT Youth Scotland from 2012 to 2017.
9.
Alyn Smith is Honorary Vice President of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
10.
Alyn Smith was re-elected three times at the 2009,2014 and 2019 European Parliament elections.
11.
Alyn Smith sat as a member of the currently seven-strong European Free Alliance Group in the Parliament, which retains its own identity within the joint Green-European Free Alliance Group.
12.
Alyn Smith was a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee until he was voted out in November 2020.
13.
Alyn Smith was a full member of both the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, and the Delegation for relations with Iraq.
14.
On 27 March 2019, Alyn Smith gave a speech to the European Parliament where he argued that Brexit was causing Scotland to be removed from the EU against the will of the Scottish people and claimed that Scottish independence could provide a means for Scotland to rejoin the EU.
15.
On Sky News in May 2019, Alyn Smith claimed that the Brexit Party was "a shell company that's a money laundering front".
16.
All new EU accession states must commit to joining the euro as a condition of membership and in May 2019 Alyn Smith said that Scotland should be "open" to joining the euro if the country becomes independent.
17.
In 2021 Alyn Smith said an independent Scotland should hold a referendum on the issue.
18.
Alyn Smith contested Edinburgh West for the SNP at the 2001 general election, coming fourth.
19.
Alyn Smith was Group Advisor for Justice, Business and Europe for the SNP Group in the Scottish Parliament from 2002 to 2004.
20.
Alyn Smith faced a selection challenge for the SNP candidacy of the Stirling and Strathallan seat from the husband of the constituency MSP Evelyn Tweed.
21.
On 30 July 2023, Alyn Smith married his long-time partner Jonathon Ramsay at Bannockburn House.