Labour confessions pile pressure on Cameron to come clean over drugs

The extraordinary Cabinet confessional brought fresh pressure on David Cameron and members of his Tory team to come clean about their own history of drug use.

Miss Smith, 44, triggered a wave of surprising disclosures by admitting that she had tried the drug as a student at Oxford University in the 80s, becoming the first serving Home Secretary to do so.

But she insisted: "I'm not proud of it. I did the wrong thing."

The Home Secretary is in charge of moves to reverse the 2004 declassification of cannabis from a Class B drug to a Class C drug.

It comes amid mounting evidence that cannabis use can cause mental problems such as schizophrenia.

Two more junior ministers in the Home Office - Tony McNulty and Vernon Coaker - also confessed to having tried marijuana during their student days in a carefully-orchestrated show of support for Miss Smith.

But it was the Cabinet revelations that stunned Westminster after Mr Darling - who has a reputation for being one of the least exciting members of the Government - admitted he had tried cannabis "occasionally" at university.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, a devout Catholic and member of the hardline religious group Opus Dei, also surprised her colleagues saying "yes" to trying cannabis in her youth.

But her spokesman said: "She realised she was very foolish to do so and stopped."

Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham also disclosed they had used the drug briefly.

Mr Hutton said he now "regretted" his behaviour, while Mr Burnham said he had only used it "once or twice".

Curiously, most of the Cabinet ministers who have conceded they broke the law are women - including Mr Brown's close ally Yvette Cooper and the Communities Secretary Hazel Blears who have both come clean in the past.

All those who have denied taking the drug are male. The surprising Cabinet disclosures were made within hours of Miss Smith's admission.

The timing fuelled speculation that Mr Brown had personally authorised the revelations to put maximum pressure on Mr Cameron, who has been consistently dogged by rumours over his use of drugs.

Mr Cameron has repeatedly refused to directly admit whether he has taken drugs.

And he insisted: "I think you are entitled to a private past, that is a line I have drawn, I think it is a very sensible line."

But a well-sourced biography of the Tory leader revealed that he was disciplined for using cannabis while he was at Eton and he has failed to deny the report.

The majority of Gordon Brown's cabinet yesterday chose to own up about their use of drugs when contacted by the Daily Mail.

Seven said they had used cannabis in their youth, nine said they hadn't and seven refused to comment.

The Prime Minister's spokesman he had never taken illegal drugs of any description, but insisted it was a matter for individual ministers "to decide how to answer these questions".

In contrast, the shadow cabinet were ordered not to answer the question.

But many of Mr Cameron's senior colleagues have been quizzed on the issue in the past.

Of those, six have said "yes" to using the drug and seven have said "no".

Miss Smith, who has earned a reputation among MPs for being a straighttalker, sparked the cabinet admissions during an interview with GMTV.

She told the programme: "I have. I did when I was at university. I haven't done for at least 25 years."

But she added: "I think it was wrong that I smoked it when I did. I have not done for 25 years.

"I share other people's concerns about the effect that cannabis has on young people and mental health problems.

"So, actually I think in some ways I have learnt my lesson and I have a responsibility as Home Secretary now to make sure we put in place the laws and the support and information to make sure we carry on bringing cannabis use down, which we are doing."

Asked how she felt about people who thought her admission might make her unfit to be Home Secretary, she said: "On the whole I think people think human beings should do jobs like this. I am not proud about it, I did the wrong thing."