Smith's wife Friede died in 1999, and his middle son Peter died in 2009. After their deaths, Smith consoled himself by turning to writing. He addressed the September 2014
Labour Party conference, speaking in support of the
National Health Service (NHS) and describing how common preventable diseases "snuffed out life like a cold breath on a warm candle flame" prior to the creation of the NHS. He also spoke on
BBC Radio and at the Bristol Politics Festival. Smith said that it was the
2008 financial crisis that inspired him to take his "last stand", In October 2015, Smith appeared on the
BBC Three documentary
We Want Our Country Back, where he sharply criticised the
far-right anti-immigration political movement
Britain First. In 2016, Smith also endorsed Corbyn's re-election campaign at the
Labour Party leadership election. In March 2016, he said of Corbyn: "He is a very honest-minded man. He has the desire to change things in Britain. Corbyn will change the world for the better. There is no one else". He added: "He'll learn he has to put some more weight behind it. I am behind him and will work with him". In August 2016 Smith dismissed the accusations of
anti-Semitism that had dogged Corbyn, of whom Smith was a vocal supporter. The
Equality and Human Rights Commission later determined that there had been serious failings in leadership and an inadequate process of handling anti-Semitism complaints in the Labour Party during Corbyn's leadership. In September 2017, Smith released his fifth book ''Don't Let My Past Be Your Future''. It was published by Little Brown. Smith was also active in support of refugees during the
European migrant crisis. In November 2017, he appeared on the
Sky One comedy
The Russell Howard Hour, where he briefly recalled his trip to the
Calais Jungle, discussed his new book and the increasing dependence on food banks in the UK. Smith and Howard also discussed the
NHS, with Smith reflecting on the accessibility of medical care with a family story. Smith wrote of the political situation in 2017:I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the second world war, as well as the hunger of the Great Depression. Sadly, that world my generation helped build on a foundation of decency and fair play is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has brought discord around the globe. Today, the western world stands at its most dangerous juncture since the 1930s. ==Illness and death==