Jacqui Smith’s appearance on Question Time last night was dominated by expenses.  Much as Nick Griffin’s appearance was dominated the previous week before by a singular issue.  Throughout the programme Ms Smith looked grumpy with the guests and ill at ease with the audience.

An audience member asked if ministers embroiled in the expenses scandal should go to the House of Lords.  To which Ms Smith said that she did not think former ministers embroiled in the expenses scandal should go to the House of Lords.  She even said she was not seeking a seat in the Lords as she was concentrating on fighting for her seat.  But does this mean that she will decline a resignation or dissolution honour if Gordon Brown loses the General Election?

Asked if she had been “disgraced”, she replied:

“Yes I think to a certain extent I have been. I think it’s obvious because I have made an apology to Parliament that I was wrong”

Ms Smith was ordered to make the public apology in the House of Commons following an investigation by the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee.

An inquiry was launched into Ms Smith’s expenses claims after it emerged she had designated her family home in the West Midlands as her second home for expenses purposes, while listing a room at her sister’s London house where she lodged as her main home.

Between 2006 and 2009, Ms Smith claimed £64,240 in Additional Costs Allowance for the Redditch property, including mortgage interest, utility bills, council tax, telephone, servicing, maintenance, repairs and cleaning.

She said she was “grateful” to the Committee on Standards and Privileges for their report, which followed a seven-month investigation by Standards Commissioner John Lyon.  Mr Lyon looked into complaints over Ms Smith’s expense claims for a cable TV, telephone and broadband package over an eight-month period, which included additional sums for pay-per-view films and sporting events.

“This claim should never have been made and, as the committee notes, I paid back the claim in full as soon as it was brought to my attention,” This does not include Ms Smith’s miscalculation of her second home allowance.

Finally an audience member asked Ms Smith the direct question if she was prepared to repay all the £116,000 (brave man!).  Ms Smith refused and again pushed the blame onto the Committee again saying that even Redditch had been her main home rather than Peckham there would have been no difference in the cost.  To someone who constantly reiterated throughout the programme about rebuilding trust, talking about the things that brought her into politics and putting the system right – refusing to pay a single penny goes completely what Ms Smith is supposedly setting out to achieve.

Published on October 30th, 2009 by chris