Cyril Smith

Sir Cyril Smith, MBE, (28th June 1928 - 3rd September 2010) was a British politician. He served as Liberal (later Liberal Democrat) Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Rochdale from 1972 until his retirement in 1992. His larger-than-life personality (and stature - he is believed to have been the heaviest British MP ever, having had a peak reported weight of 29 stone 12 pounds, about 190 kilograms) and popular television appearances made him one of the most recognisable British MPs of the 1970s. His nickname, Big Cyril, was also the title of his autobiography. A common joke on the size of the Parliamentary Liberal Party in the early 1970s was that only one taxi would be needed to transport the entire party; after Smith's election, the party could fill two taxis.