Iain Duncan Smith

The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP was first elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chingford and Woodford Green in London on 1st April 1992. During his initial term from June 1992 to 1997, he was known for his strong opposition to the Maastricht Treaty. He asserted that its ratification would eventually lead to a series of changes that would alter the relationship between the UK and the EU, thereby making continued UK membership untenable. During this period, he also served on several Select Committees.

Between 1997 and 2001, Duncan Smith served as Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security and then Secretary of State for Defence. He became the leader of the Conservative Party in 2001, a position he held until 2003. Following his resignation as party leader, he founded the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) in 2004, an organization aimed at addressing the issues facing those in the lowest income groups in society. The CSJ has been influential in shaping government policy, notably with reports such as “Breakthrough Britain: Ending the Costs of Social Breakdown” and later contributing to legislation with its study “It Happens Here: Equipping the United Kingdom to Fight Modern Slavery,” which influenced the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

In 2010, Duncan Smith was appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, a role he maintained until his resignation in 2016 due to a disagreement over proposed cuts to disability benefits. His tenure was marked by comprehensive welfare reforms, including the creation of Universal Credit, which consolidated six unemployment and sickness benefits into one, and the Work Programme, which integrated efforts from the private and voluntary sectors to assist unemployed individuals in finding work. He also played a pivotal role in the introduction of the Single Tier Pension, which simplified the State Pension system.

Duncan Smith was a prominent figure in the Vote Leave campaign for the 2016 EU referendum, advocating strongly for Brexit. Since the referendum, he has remained active in politics as a backbencher and continues to influence policy through his chairmanship of the CSJ, which has published extensive reports on Brexit, including "48:52 – Healing a Divided Nation" and "The Road to Brexit." The CSJ's ongoing "Breakthrough Brexit Programme" is focused on analyzing and guiding the UK's post-Brexit strategy.

Before his political career, Duncan Smith served in the Scots Guards from 1975 to 1981, with deployments in Northern Ireland and Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. Following his military service, he transitioned into industry, working initially with GUC before taking on roles as a director at a property company and later at Jane’s Information Group, a publishing company.