'No quit' Smith admits bad mistake

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Ms Smith admitted she had made a "bad mistake" in approving a claim for two pornographic movies watched by her husband that "shouldn't have got within a million miles of being a claim".

But she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that she had apologised, corrected the mistake and was still able to look her constituents in the eye.

Ms Smith said she had set herself the test of whether she could face the electorate and "say that I think I have done the best job for them, I have done the best job for the taxpayer and that I have made decisions that are fair and reasonable".

She said there had been one exception to that, which was signing off the £10 claim for the movies.

"It's a bad mistake, it's an embarrassing mistake," Ms Smith said.

But asked whether it was enough to resign over, she added: "I didn't believe, having apologised, having paid back the money, that it was a mistake that did override what I hope has been the good work that I have been doing.

"And one of the things that's important to me is that I feel able to look people in the eye and say that I am doing that work, that I have made a mistake but that I have apologised for it and put it right, and that actually now my priority is to get on with the work as Home Secretary and try to do the best job possible for my constituents."