Smith apologises for expenses
By politics.co.uk staff
Former home secretary Jacqui Smith apologised to the Commons for her use of expenses after being ordered to do so by the standards watchdog today.
The Commons standards and privileges committee found the Redditch MP “clearly” breached rules on second home allowance but that no further action should be taken against her.
“I conclude that Ms Smith was clearly in breach of the rules of the House in claiming for additional entertainment items on her media package in eight separate months in 2008-09 since these items were not necessary in the performance of her parliamentary duties,” John Lyons, chief of the watchdog, said.
“I therefore uphold the complaint.”
The report said Ms Smith already accepted the incidents, including her husband’s use of allowances to rent two porn movies, were unacceptable.
Ms Smith launched a defence of her actions before making the apology today, telling MPs: “This claim should never have been made and as the comittee notes, I paid back the claim in full as soon as it was brought to my attention.”
But she faced particular criticism for designating a property she shared with her sister as her main home while claiming expenses on the house where her family lived in Worcestershire.
“I spent more nights in London than Redditch for three of the four years of the designation,” she told MPs.
The former home secretary accepted the criticism made of her actions by the committee, however.
“I should have used my discretion to change my main home designation,” she said.
Ms Smith said she was “disappointed” by the report today. She faced a tough day, with the release of a report into the arrest of shadow immigration minister Damian Green questioning any national security justification for the arrest.
