1. EXTRACTS
FROM ARTICLE
IN THE
MAIL
ON
SUNDAY,
8 FEBRUARY 2009
HOME SECRETARY Jacqui Smith has claimed more than
£116,000 in Commons expenses for a 'second home' while effectively
lodging with her sister.
Ms Smith claims the maximum parliamentary second-home
allowance, currently a tax-free £24,006 a year, on her £300,000
detached house in her Redditch constituency in the Midlands, where
her husband and two young children live.
She is able to do so because she has told the Commons
authorities that her 'main home' is a house in London owned solely
by her sister, Sara, where she stays on some weekdays.
…
Ms Smith last night denied she had done anything
wrong. Her spokeswoman said: "Jacqui
has documentation to prove that everything is completely above
board. It has been cleared by the...Commons Fees Office."
She denied that Ms Smith was benefiting by nominating
her London address as her "main
home" instead of her constituency
home.
The spokeswoman said Ms Smith spends "the
bulk of the week" at her sister's
home in London. Asked how many nights she stayed there, the spokeswoman
said: "She tends
to go home Thursday evenings and returns on Sunday or Monday."
When it was pointed out that this suggested
an average of three-and-a-half days a week, the spokeswoman replied:
"She doesn't count
the number of nights."
Nor would Ms Smith disclose if she paid her sister
rent. The Home Secretary "makes
a contribution to the household",
said the spokeswoman, who refused to provide further details.
The spokeswoman denied Ms Smith was "lodging"
with her sister, and said the two "shared
the house".
…
Jacqui Smith is also on the electoral roll in her
Redditch constituency, where she and husband Richard own a large
detached house in an exclusive residential area.
…
On her parliamentary website, the Home Secretary
emphasises her Midlands roots. Far from stating that her main
home is in London, her official biography suggests that her Redditch
house is the one she regards as her real home.
It states: "Jacqui
grew up in Malvern, Worcestershire, before moving to [her constituency]
in 1986. She still lives in [ her constituency] with her husband
[…] and sons [...]."
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