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I wish I could steal £64,000 and get away with an, "I'm sorry." pathetic.. Should lose her job as a minumum - she looks like a dinner lady for a start.

- Matt Sweeney, London

Yet again a woman gets away with it.....a slap of the wrist in place of the penalty a male would have suffered in her place in a country riddled with double standards. This brazen woman's apology was mealy mouthed and half hearted in the extreme and was forced upon her, so all we an hope for now is her well deserved rejection by the voters of Redditch come Election Day. This woman's sickly grin makes me feel the same way - sickly. She well and truly represents this nasty Labour (Mis)Government.

- Damian, Hereford

I think we should all accept her apology, for she did say she is sorry.
I can't see her being re-elected so it's not suprising she will keep the loot and run.

Oh no she won't. At the end of every rotten government there is a Rat-Run where senior MP's move to safe seats. It happened at the end of the last Tory Govt. Trust me This little PIGGY's going nowhere.

- Steve, Brentford

Sorry, but advisors 'advise'. They don't 'do'. She did. She's solely responsible for her own actions, just as anyone is who makes decisions for themselves.

She can either admit to being too stupid to understand that getting cold hard cash from the public purse for something that is entirely for her own benefit and profit merits, at the least, questions (remembering all that while that "ignorance is no excuse" for breaking the law") - or she can say that she, being well aware that she was milking a system that had been, shall we be charitable and call it 'naively' set up in such a manner that greedy people could do just that, was guilty of wilful theft from said public purse.

Either way she's damned. Either way she is responsible, as are others like her.

- Rogan, Irving

Phil, castres france - Nah! It's the poor wot gets the bill.

- Rogan, Irving

I think we should all accept her apology, for she did say she is sorry.
I can't see her being re-elected so it's not suprising she will keep the loot and run.

- Max, London, England

DID YOU KNOW it only takes one constituent voter,(even if they use free Legal Aid), to charge any MP under the 2006 FRAUD ACT sections 1-4. "Apologies" to the House of Commons aren't simply good enough when they propose to keep money which was NOT defrauded from HoC; but from Taxpayers Public Funds. The LAW has clearly been broken. Jesus.H.Christ where are the Police or the SFO when we need them?.

- Frank, Bristol UK

Hello Nu Labor: the "party" is finished. There is no money left. Bibi and now go away!

- Phil, Islington, London

In her statement to the house this afternoon she said:
"I have never flipped my designation and I OWN ONLY ONE HOME". Her claim therefore for £116,000 for a "second home" was fraudulent. She is a liar and a thief and I am delighted she has shot herself in the foot by making this confession to the house. I will campaign relentlessly to see her brought to justice and the money returned to the tax payer.

- R.F.York, Yorks, UK

The caption reads "Out of my way you gormless population.Go pay your congestion charge or self assessment fine or something.I'm off on another summer recess"

- Amoreno, luxembourg

When are the people of Redditch going to "rise up" and hound this woman out of town.

- Pat Morgan, spain

Can I pay no more tax, moonlight and get away with it and then apologise and be let off? If so, why am I paying tax at all?

Who was it who told me that Labour is the workingman's party?

They are a bigger load of cheats than the Tories. At least you know where you are with the Conservatives.



Amber in Mitcham

- Amber In Mitcham, Mitcham Surrey

Resignation required.
Seriously, constituents, hound her out of the office you voted her in to.
Make the most of the internet to do this.
RJ, expat in USA

- Ray Jarvis, marlborough, usa

More people are more equal than overs.

- Bernard Parke, GUILDFORD

So they've decided what most of us knew already; designting the family home as her second one, apparently in order to maxmise expenses that could be claimed, was wrong.

The £64k doesn't have to be paid back though because of “significant mitigating circumstances”; i"t seems that Ms Smith was "poorly advised".

That a senior cabinet minister needs to be advised on an ethical matter that most decent people would have little difficulty in resolving, speaks volumes about Britain's politicians in 2009.

If Ms Smith had an ounce of decency, she would repay the money and step down. Perhaps her constituents will deal with the latter in due course.

- John C, Leatherhead, UK

So Tacqui Smith can make mistakes and get away with £64,000. Very nice ! To think such a stupid woman can be our home secretary, even for a short period. Let us hope her sort leaves the Commons after the election and never seen again.

- Michael, London, UK

"Former home secretary Jacqui Smith today apologised for wrongly designating her family house as a second home for expenses purposes."

Hey - what's all the fuss about. Anyone could make that mistake, not knowing where you live. Right?

Surely.....

Oh, maybe not.

- Rogan, Irving

Bring back the stocks in every village and let the feelings of the people be vented with a few pounds if over ripe tomatoes starting with Jacqi. Start on Tower Hill over a Bank Holiday weekend, the event could draw in the crowds at a fiver a go. All proceeds to go to British charities.

- Albert Hall, hove england

Everyone knows she was dishonest, and stupid. Yet on the radio was arrogant pompous Chairman of Local Labour stating he had known her for years, and he had been 33 years in the local Labour Party so she was 'honest'.

He is an example of Labour determined to claim they are innocent and honest. Even as facts are totally plain.

The investigation discovered Ms Smith's police recorded her as spending many fewer nights in her sister's home than she had stated in her diaries. So Smith
1) lied in her own diaries to cheat the expenses.
2) not just a slight error. 'MANY fewer nights'.
3) HER LIES WERE MASSIVE.
4) ARROGANCE UNBOUNDED to treat the UK as fools.
5) Steal taxpayers money, and unable to understand.

This is fraud and many are very angry. She should be fired, and in court. Why not? What is different about her to any other UK citizen. She should face trial at once.

Worse still, Brown picked her to run the Home Office. She was the best he could find in Labour!!

- Hamit, bethnal green uk

So the answer is to vote them all out? The only problem is the British public will all vote the same lot back in again, blue instead of red. It’s time for a change in politics and you won’t get that by swapping elegancies from the same two parties every decade or so. They know they have a captive audience and they will continue to take advantage of us until we change; but they never will change.

- Paul B, London

A person struggling on Benefit who made a mistake in a claim would be hounded and would have to pay it all back.This cheat gets away with it.

My taxes paid for her husband's porn its a disgrace.

- Dan Woodward, London

Wow... So she is made to apologise to the others who had their snouts in the trough! What about apologizing to us - the taxpayers whose money she took. Then she can get her cheque book out to pay us back!

- Chris, London

liebore MP's are a disgrace, I'm al'right jack,we cant be touched.We break the law and use it for our own political means. If this was a conservative government the bbc would be shouting from the roof tops,dont just blame the MP's the media being quiet and government spin have a hand in it.The next time you're up in the dock quote jacqui smith breaking the law but getting off with an apology.

- David Fitzgerald, coventry,england

Its a stitch up; its appalling.

This woman should give back the money she claimed wrongly; it should be a black and white case. If she doesn't it just proves how corrupt the whole thing is and the rest of us should just cheat our way to the top to get ourselves rich!!!!

- Gary, London, W2

And sell off the countries assets to pay for it,what a mess

- Linda, italy

No police, no handcuffs, because she didn't actually break the law. She merely exploited weaknesses in the rulebook to stuff her pockets with taxpayers' money, and thereby behaved dishonorably.

The appropriate punishment is death by ballot box, if she won't do the honorable thing beforehand (i.e. resign her seat, so as to let someone new from her party try to win the election).

If constituencies re-elect any of these corrupt MPs, then we will finally have proof that turkeys really do vote for Christmas and for being stuffed.

- Nigel, London

Why doesnt she have to pay this back!! to say she was wrongly advised is just letting her off the hook!!what a scandal..no wonder this country is broke!!!!

- Jean, London England

It's Good to be in the Club, you can get away with anything.

- A Tax Slave, london

nothing changes....it's the rich wot gets the pleasure it's the poor wot gets the blame.

- Phil, castres france

Hang on a minute, Ms Smith spent more time at home in
the West Midlands than in the London home which was supposedly the "Main Home". The Police bodyguard team
corroborate this. Mr Lyon says that she clearly breached
the rules of the House and that a slap on the wrists is OK but no payback necessary! If ordinary people claim half a bean too much, HM Revenue & Customs will want to know why. Well, I tell you what, I will delay paying my next tax bill until HMRC can confirm that all dodgy claims by MP's are retrieved. I will wait for the bailiffs and ask my MP every day, what he thinks about all this.

- Macdnagler, Wimbledon SW19

Yet again we witness MP's clearly milking the system they put in place and yet being told after looking into matters that they have done wrong, but simply receive a slap on the wrists. If it were you or I, "Joe Public" who had unjustly claimed any amount from 64K to over 100K on expenses we would clearly have been hounded and indeed rightly prosecuted for fraud. Not so it would appear our so called political leaders. We should all make it very clear at the forthcoming elections that we will not countenance ever again "thieves and fraudsters", because that is how they are rightly perceived by the public, the ability to run our country and continue to pontificate that they have done "nothing wrong!" Kick all the wrongdoers out and let us start again with some simple honesty.

- John Woodhouse, Bury, Lancashire

The Labour dominated Standards Committee is clearly going to look after its own. Sleaze is like the IRA - it hasn't gone away you know.

- James Elliott, Eastborne UK

Can we end this charade now and stop an even bigger drain on the already dwindling public purse? If she of ALL people is not going to be asked to pay back the money she stole, or pay with her job, then what is the point of the exercise? Just seems to be a very handy smokescreen for Brown to hide behind instead of answering the questions he should have been facing while away on 4 months' holiday - a period during which the country has been on its knees and our soldiers are dying in Afghanistan.

- Rob, London

Jacqui Smith represents the "one rule for us, another rule for you lot" of MPs who believe they are above the law. If she was in breach of the rules (which she was) she should be forced to resign and to pay the money back. I hope her constituents respond accordingly at the ballot box.

- John, London, UK

What makes me sick is that while some cheat and inflate their expenses, troops sent out to Afghanistan have been sent out wrongly and under equipped. Radio 4 aired a programme yesterday, which told of so many instances of personal kit to helicopters (too old), being unable to do the job they were issued for.

Jacqui Smith's overspend alone could have brought a small degree of comfort in buying large screen televisions for over 60 of our returning limbless army personnel. Their greed, running concurrent with this expensive, reckless, futile war is incomprehensible.

- Katherine, Reading

What an utter disgrace. Shame on you. She should be forced to pay it ALL back with interest. Here is a person
who should be setting an example but instead she, like many others in her position have abused their position of power. What a hypocrite.

- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark

Pay it Back !!!! How can she not repay this money its a disgrace to society.If I was Prime Minister I would tell her to resign or be sacked its your choice Miss Smith.Bring the police in and prosecute.

- Pete Dubb, LONDON

Why is she apologising to her co-defendants? They're "all in it together". Where's her apology to the taxpayer and the electorate at large? This is simply putting two fingers up to the nation. The sooner these lying thieving scumbags are thrown out the better.

- Chuck Unsworth, London

She still believes she has done nothing wrong.

- David Smith, Croydon

She has already made a statement which devalues the "apology" she will eventually have to make.She will have pocketed the loot,waved two fingers at the Commons and never understand the contempt which is felt for her.

- P Doff, audierne france

GUILTY !!!!!She broke the rules PAY the money BACK !!she has fraudulently taken hardworking tax payers money..

- Gary, LONDON

I broke the rules on speeding, can I have the cost of my fine back please if I say I am sorry?

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

GUILTY !!!!!She broke the rules PAY the money BACK !!she has fraudulently taken hardworking tax payers money..

- Gary, LONDON

A common criminal, simple as that, but because she is a politician she get away with it. The arrogance is breathtaking and just drives home the fact that there is one law for most of us and a completely different set of laws for politicians.

I could say "She should feel ashamed of herself" but she won't and she doesn't - laughing all the way to the bank!!!

- Alison Petrie, Cheshunt, Herts

does this mean that anyone who 'mistakenly' receives a couple of pounds more than they are entitled to receives only a slap on the wrist rather than being persecuted and prosecuted through the courts?

- Andy, london

Bit of a joke really. Benefit cheats get locked up; but the Home Secretary of all people, who has claimed money to which she clearly was not entitled, is made to give a public apology. As part of the bargain her collegues say she can keep the loot. Not a bad afternoon`s work if you can get it. It just goes to show was a dishonest double speaking administration we have had for the past 12 years. How anyone can vote for Brown is beyond me. He gave her his full support when the story first broke. He must have been told by his advisors what had been going on. He is as bad as she is.

- B Gare, Norfolk Gorleston

Just you don't despair.
More insulting of our intelligence.

- Asw, HK

Wow, what a strange and corrupt country this has become.

I am so angry about the way Nu Labor has destroyed the UK.

The home office has been corrupt from the moment they came to power, opening our borders to allow terrorists and gangsters free rein. I guess they were hiding there own misgivings.

- Patricia, London

The fact that she was a home secretary at all with a background that consisted of being a high school economics teacher tells you everything about how incompetent and corrupt New Liebore are!!

SHE SHOULD BE SENT TO JAIL. Please support the civil prosecution from Sunlight!!!

- James Deen, Southampton

Now is the time to march to the houses of parliment and demand the immediate resignation of all the corrupt MPs,failure to do this will show our goverment that we the British public are weak and pathetic and they will continue to steal for years to come.

- Dave, london

Thinking about this further, the angrier I am. This is fraud and obtaining money by deception. The fact that “Ms Smith was badly advised by the Commons authorities” is irrelevant. If you make a mistake and underpay your tax because of bad advice from your accountant (or even the HMRC), you the tax payer are still responsible and the tax – with penalties and interest still are liable. Why is this case different??? I suspect someone will make a private prosecution if the authorities do not.

- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties

I see a long and bumpy road ahead for this awful, arrogant, self-obsessed creature. Her, and many like her who've leeched off the public, via attachment to New Labour's crew of halfwits, chancers and charlatans will face utter contempt from the public be they in or out of the House of Greed.

- Ted, London

Allowing Ms Smith to keep public money, shows the review is a Labour white wash, before they get defeated at the General Election (likely to be 6th May, 2010). The public will then have the opportunity to defeat Ms Smith MP and other offenders from all the parties. But well done to the honest MPs who did not abuse the system.

- Andrew, London

NO SUPRISE THERE THEN SILLY BROWN TOUGH ON CRIME TOUGH ON THE CAUSES OF CRIME ALL HOT AIR

- Anon, leicestershire

This is outragous - not only should she pay the money back, but she should be prosecuted

- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties

Robbing thieves the lot of them, get this party out NOW!

- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London

This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government......deal with it gord

- Rsaviour, london

that's all right then. I'm more than happy to make a 64k
public apolgy, in fact i'll make three at that price.
i guess the poiticos think this will square everything.

- M.O'Brien, london.uk

Can I have £64,000 of tax payers money and not have to pay it back, it would sort out alot of my finances and I could take a rather nice holiday.

It's only fair that if MP's can have it then living under the same Govenrment rules then I can have it too...

- Martin, Bristol

WHY DO WE STAND FOR THIS??? THESE PEOPLE ARE O U R S E R V A N T S NOT TE OTHER WAY ROUND - DEMONSTRATE ON THE STREES TO GET THIS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT O U T N O W

- Cathy, southampton united kingdom

Can I pay no more tax, moonlight and get away with it and then apologise and be let off? If so, why am I paying tax at all?

Who was it who told me that Labour is the workingman's party?

They are a bigger load of cheats than the Tories. At least you know where you are with the Conservatives.



Amber in Mitcham

- Amber In Mitcham, Mitcham Surrey

It's an absolute disgrace that she is not paying any money back.

- Pat Morgan, spain

We the taxpayers are paying for this Lyon person to make value judgments on parliamentary thieves and liars. Jaqui Smith has filched 64 grand but is considered to have suffered enough because her old man was copped watching porn, also at our expense. She has stolen from our taxes. Make her pay it back or send her to prison. What is clearly plain is that this investigation is not whitewash but complete hogwash!

- Jilly, London

I think the photo just about fits the bill- "told you I'd get away with it" Bring back the stocks.

- Nigel Rush, Paris France

There is no honour with this lot. Cheated us of £64,000, lied about the amount of time she spent in various homes, husband watching porn films at our expense (not surprised with the amount of time she spends at her sister's)and still no resignation.

I bet her apology contains lots of 'regrets' and no 'sorry'.

Please bring on the election so we can get shot of this lot.

- Mark Myword, London

Is there anything like a private prosecution that the public / a lawyer could do to demand repayment of this 'stolen' money? £64,000 is a lot of money, two policeman / teacher / soldier salaries for a year.

Of course it should be paid back. If the house of commons doesn't do this then people might actually rise up and take it back by force - I'm seriously worried this place is falling apart so put your house in order before it does you fools!

- Dis Gruntled, London, UK

£64,000 this women has not been asked to pay a penny back...in the real world she would slung in clink with no "questions" asked!!!

- Mark Egan, Sidcup

Unreal, if any of us did that the tax man would come down on us like a tonne of bricks!

- Peter, Chelmsford UK.

Ah yes, and now the brushing under the carpet exercise begins,

We are lead by donkeys

- Anthony, uk

"...Ms Smith's police bodyguards recorded her as spending many fewer nights in her sister's home than she had stated in her diaries". So she falsified her diary entries in order to claim. If that's not fraud, then what is??

- Malcolm, London

Both the committee and Mr Lyon decided that Ms Smith had suffered enough over the revelation that she had claimed public money for porn films watched by her husband, Richard Timney.
Feel sorry for her as she has only 64K to fall back on !!!
Who are these twits that sit on scutiny boards ? could it be that they want to set a precedant , no payback , so that if their expenses are looked at it can therefore be said they suffered so , bl--dy hard luck no payback

- Alan Baker, essex .uk

No surprise,investigators were hired at taxpayers cost to investigate the expense scandal by the PM.iTS LIKE ASKING THE mAFIA TO HIRE SOMEONE TO INVESTIGATE THEIR DEALINGS,BRING ON THE REVOLUTION.

- Dave, london

And these corrupt liars expect us to vote for them? Turkeys and Christmas come to mind.

If your MP is one of the piggies who were happily stuffing your taxes into their pockets, then vote for the opposition in your constituency, whatever colour that might be. Only once they've all seen that the wages of this particular sin is political death, is there any hope of any return to decency in public life.

- Nigel, London

Do Great Britain a big FAVOUR and simply sack her and remove any associated perks, parachute payments and pension rights that might otherwise have been associated with her dismissal.

It is high time that politicians were made to "pay" for breaches to rules on second home expenses especially as the WATCHDOG, upon investigation, had found that she had clearly done so. This matter MUST not be open to discussion . . . P45 . . . Job Done! How else are we ever going to get a generation of politicians that are going to try to be honest, comply with laid down Rules & Regulations and generally just tow the line?

- Fraser, Telford Park

Well,dont that just make me feel better.No need to pay it back ,just say sorry.Guess every thief in the UK is phoneing their lawyer offerring to say sorry so they to can get let off.Need a survy,on a scale of one to ten,how much do you hate our MPs.

- Dave, london

WHERE ARE THE POLICE?

WHERE ARE THE HANDCUFFS?

ONE LAW FOR JOE PUBLIC AND AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT LAW FOR MP's CAUGHT WITH THEIR LONG SMELLY NOSES DEEP IN THE EXPENSES TROUGH.

- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR

What about an apology to us!!!! I'm with Mark, London.

- Goggs, London

She will no resign but run till the next election and step down. That way she can claim a full years expenses to run down her office and staff. Once a parasite always a parasite.

- Steve, London

This unbeleivably foolish woman was actually Home Secretary. Under new Labour the UK has become an unpleasantly oppressive society. "If you've got nothing to hide..you've got nothing to fear...bla bla". I'm so pleased that she finds that her own sordid affairs (porn expenses fraud etc) have come out and ruined this dreadful womans career. Lets just hope that we never hear from her again.

- Peter, Berkshire

Yet again Tacky Jacqui is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons - she constantly brings shame to a defunctional party - bigger acheivement than she ever made as Home Sec!

- David, soton

The Commons Standards and Privileges Committee said today that she had 'clearly' breached the regulations and ordered Miss Smith to apologise to the House of Commons. If she has "Clearly" breached the regulation then why is she allowed to get away with just an apology! Would the general population get away an apology, say to the taxman/Vatman/Bin police etc, for a breach of regulations, of course not! Much is made of her acknowledgment that the £10 claim for the pornographic films was unallowable, her apology and the return of the money but what of the far more obcene issue of the £116k claims! Total whitewash! Did we really expect anything else!

- Ij, Wisbech

These arrogant and incompetent thieving parasite MPs like 'Jackboot Smiff' who have ruthlessly criminalised and bullied the law-abiding majority of us deserve to be publicly humiliated in the stocks!
And as for this so-called "Investigation" - it's obviously been a complete whitewash (as we've come to expect from ZaNu-Liebour)
I am outraged and stunned that Jacqui Smith has been effectively let off with a slap on the wrist...
Gordon Brown - WHY HAS THERE BEEN NO POLICE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS, CHARGES OR PROSECUTIONS??

- Anon Pc, London, UK

Shouldn't she lead by example?

Anyone who abuses the expenses system would be sacked by their employer and rightly so!

Your move Mr Brown.

- Richie, Doncaster, England

Smiff lied to the Common's authorities and lied to the tax man. As a result of her lies she obtained monies to which she was not entitled. This is Fraud, as defined by the Fraud Act 2006, introduced by her own government.
If you or I did this, we would be dragged through the courts and almost certainly found guilty. There would at least be a hefty fine and probably a custodial sentence.
However, Jackboot Smiff belongs to the executive elite of the ruling party in Soviet McBritain. The fact that she, like her Politburo colleagues, has escaped prosecution shows just how far down the road to Orwell's "Animal Farm" this stinking, Britain-hating government has gone.

- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster

If she had a shred of decency, honesty or integrity sher would resign. As she refuses to do so she must be kicked out at the next election - and her "second" home sold and the money returned to the treasury.

- R.F.York, Yorks, UK

I'd like her apology in the form of a resignation.

- Mark, London

Just one of many abusing the 'spirit' of the allowances system. Others are just thieving scum.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

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