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Jacqui Smith: I’m a disgrace and shouldn’t be a peer
Nicholas Cecil, Deputy Political Editor30 Oct 2009
Jacqui Smith today accepted that she should not be given a peerage after being “disgraced” in the expenses scandal.
The former Home Secretary admitted that she had been shamed over her use of the Commons housing allowance.
She declared her main property was a house she shared with her sister in London which allowed her to claim tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' cash for her family home in Worcestershire.
Pressed on whether ministers heavily criticised over their expenses should become peers, she told Question Time last night: “I don't think people who have been disgraced should go to the House of Lords.”
Asked by David Dimbleby whether she would include herself, she added: “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.”
A string of other MPs could be ruled out from getting a peerage if deep controversy over expenses is a deciding factor. They include Labour's former Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and former London minister Tony McNulty, as well as Tories Douglas Hogg and Sir Nicholas Winterton.
But former Speaker Michael Martin, who presided over the expenses scandal, was elevated to the Lords.
Ms Smith insisted that she had never wanted a peerage but also appeared to hint that she may brave voters' anger by seeking to defend her Redditch seat at the next election.
“My job now is to work to rebuild, I hope, people's trust in me as their constituency representative,” she said. She was forced to apologise to the Commons after an inquiry by Standards Commissioner John Lyon ruled against her.
He obtained access to her ministerial diary and logs of police protection teams to show that after becoming Home Secretary in 2007, she slept more nights in Redditch than London. Ms Smith was also left deeply embarrassed that her husband had used Commons expenses to pay for adult movies.
Parliament's sleaze watchdog was said to be proposing that MPs who have most abused the system could be stripped of “golden goodbyes” if they stand down. Resettlement grants of between £32,328 and £64,766 are to be drastically cut for all MPs who quit, but only after the next election.
However, Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, is said to be proposing that special payments should be denied as part of punishments for shamed MPs.
Reader views (31)
Fine, but those are only words uttered. She should put her money where the mouth is and return all illegal or immoral expenses claimed. This action will at least be exemplary to those who chose to remain silent, in hope that with time, the Public will forget their misdeeds.
- Rolando, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 02/11/2009 05:33
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What right does this government have to continue to ban the US talk show host Michael Savage. This disgusting women (who banned him when Home Sec) should be the one banned from Britain. A disgrace and a travesty.
- Andrew, London, UK, 02/11/2009 03:39
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Well done to Jacqui for admitting that and facing up to the consequences of her actions. I am still waiting for Archer to be strippd off his peerage.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 30/10/2009 15:20
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Smith, Blears, Flint? Nasty selferving Blair babes. Their silence is absolutely golden.As a life long labour supporter, I will be glad to see the back of them at the next election
- James, Manchester England, 30/10/2009 15:17
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Admirable!
At last a labourite recognises and admits her complete incompetance, ineffiency, greed etc....its a shame that the rest of them do not/have not been honest to tell the truth regarding their styles.
Perhaps she should (would) be a better person to go UP than the rest you dont admit truths.
- Toldasitis, London, 30/10/2009 14:17
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This means nothing until she puts that in writing. She'll do what all the other NuLabour parasites have done, wait for the furore to die down and then just carry on as usual. Lady Smith will be in her seat by the end of next year, I'll take bets on it.
- Mark, London, 30/10/2009 13:56
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Slightly misleading headline, ES - she actually said that she had been disgraced IN PART, but was quick to move the blame to her advisers. When questioned about whether she would pay the money back out of morality, she quickly switched to the party line of 'sorting the expenses out issue once and for all', which is also what she did when asked if she would accept a seat in the Upper House if offered. John Sergeant came the closest to shooting her down when he pointed out that he found it difficult to understand how someone can have any difficulty in remembering where they live - cue much appaluse and Jaqui Smith stopped in her tracks. She side-stepped the issue and it is a pity she did not get the same sort of treatment as Nick Griffin had, as she would then have found it far harder to wriggle out of.
- James, London, 30/10/2009 12:56
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Note the weasel words "to a certain extent".Her attitude is that the dirty movies were disgraceful but that the £100k she misclaimed was a mistake caused by the advice given to her.She is portraying herself as a fallen saint and will scuttle into the Lords given half a chance mouthing some lie about serving the public.
- Peter Dickinson, Filey Yorkshire, 30/10/2009 12:33
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She'll be a peer.
Just like Speaker martin.
These people are leaches on those of us who actually
pay taxes.
- British Not Racist, Bracknell England, 30/10/2009 12:10
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Richard, Greater London, very good point well made.
- Susan M, London, 30/10/2009 11:56
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Hmm. Ms Smith's utterances might be more credible if she repaid the money.
- John C, Leatherhead, UK, 30/10/2009 11:37
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I watched the show.
She took quite a kicking, at least 15 minutes plus of relentless questioning. Did I feel sorry for her - no - she took the money and is now the subject of public scrutiny.
Compare this to Mr Griffin who was challenged on his misdemeanors and again the subject of public scrutiny, the next day he complained that he was being bullied - no this is public scrutiny and he was shown to be not savvy enough to cope.
- Richard, Greater London, 30/10/2009 11:25
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What was interesting was the Plaid Cymru MP who said that a handful of MPs will almost certainly be facing criminal sanctions, the next chapter of this sorry affair.
If these matters are played out before an election, which seems likely, it will be interesting to know who these characters are, the worst of the worst!
- David, London, 30/10/2009 11:09
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Peter Mandelson and Michael Martin have publicly disgraced the British people, Parliament and themselves. All the more despicable, they have tried to elbow aside shame and bully their way through responsibility. They've been at the forefront of lowering standards.
Broken Britain sees their 'great and the good?!' forging a way of life that says it OK for people to behave badly - and thrive. Many of Blair's close associates and some of Brown's, have displayed instincts to cheat and play very dirty politics in public. Overall, they've set dismal examples, especially for the young to follow.
Jacqui Smith, at least has reverted to a once valued British tradition in holding her hand up and taking personal responsibility for dishonesty or mistakes made. Personal honour and doing the right thing was once valued in our society. People lived by a code of personal integrity. With it's collapse, we've seen what chaos the lack of it has produced right though our present society. From Parliamentarians right through every strand of the widely spread anti social behaviour on our streets.
We can't expect integrity from the man in the street when our political leaders let us down so appallingly badly. Let us hope Jacqui Smith is just at the vanguard, and that we'll see others who are not fit to take a seat in the Lords, having the decency to not put themselves up for (or refusing) the office. The next Government should remove those who shouldn't be there, setting higher standards.
- Geoffrey, London, 30/10/2009 10:32
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Smith, like all the other disgraced MPs will not resign as this will mean they will lose their full MP pension - very generous by all means. So they are all hanging to until they become unelected, i.e technically made redundant. thus they get many other entitlements. Smith will also, as a former home secretary, get a body gurad paid for by......you get the picture.
- Hansel, London, 30/10/2009 10:25
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Soon an end to New Labour sleeze.
- Keith Price, Luton England, 30/10/2009 10:11
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I saw this programme which revealed Jaqui Smith as being a duplicitous manipulator.
In answer to a question about her cheating on expenses she said she relied completely on advice given to her that her claim was in order and, no matter whether she had any moral qualms over the claim, she rested on that advice.
5 minutes later in answer to a question on why she had overturned recommendations from the governments chief drug advisor she stated he was only there to give advice and it was for her to make the decisions.
We will have our revenge at the election!
- Mark Myword, London, 30/10/2009 10:05
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Congratulations...you have spoken the truth for once!
I am ,though, still waiting for my apology!
- Gwaddilove, London..England, 30/10/2009 10:00
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If you have been the wink but no nod that you are not going to get a peerage. as was likely at one time - better to publically rule it out rather than being turned down by the vetting committee and all the publicity that would bring. Its called getting in first.
- Brian G, Norfolk Gorleston, 30/10/2009 09:46
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I would like to think that this a sign of contrition, but the cynic in me suspects that this is the start of an attempted rehabilitation process.
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties, 30/10/2009 09:38
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Lets hope that the Queen watched this programm when Mrs Smith said that "People who have been disgraced should not go into the house of lords" as dosent the list of proposed peers have to be approved by the Queen, And as she is still a serving cabinet minister can we, by this, assume that this is now government policy.
- Real World, Planet Earth, 30/10/2009 09:32
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Smith couldn't bring herself to say she was not fit for the Lords.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 30/10/2009 09:14
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JackBoot Smiff is worse than a disgrace - I watched her arrogant mealy-mouthed pathetic answers on Question Time last night and quite frankly she came across even more disgusting than before.
What annoyed me so much is that she keeps saying "It mas a genuine mistake and we've got to change the system, it was a bad system" - NO! Stop blaming "The System" and take full personal responsibility for your actions, like us plebs have to.
Miss Piggy Smiff still believes she has done nothing wrong and her attitude clearly shows her utter contempt for us "mere taxpayers" - how this ghastly woman was ever promoted to Home Secretary is beyond me.
What a complete and utter disgrace Jacqui Smith is - RESIGN NOW AND PAY BACK THE £116,000 YOU STOLE FROM US.
- Anon Pc, London Compound,Londongrad,EUSSR, 30/10/2009 08:55
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If she does not return the £116,000 she claimed then we must take out a private prosecution.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK, 30/10/2009 08:37
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So if her judgement is in error over her expenses, how can I trust her judgement over things that are importent to me, a person that she does not even know?
- Dene Wood, Grays, Essex, That little country by the sea that used to have, 30/10/2009 08:30
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If she feels that she has been a disgrace why hasn't she resigned? Will she refuse a Lordship and will she pay the money back? Don't hold your breath.
- Richard Olsen, London, 30/10/2009 08:29
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Three questions: Why is Mrs Smith still refusing to repay the money that she disgracefully obtained? Why has she not resigned as an MP or been sacked? Why have the police not been asked to investigate this serious matter?
- Simon Ellis, London, 30/10/2009 08:27
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If she knows that she has been a disgrace and let down Parliament and the the electorate why does she not resign immediately.
Oh,yes,it is because she can claim her pension and get more money off the taxpayer.That in itself is another disgrace to add to her list.No wonder we have little regard for politicians when they show how honourable they are.
- Grumpy As Hell, Wimbledon, 30/10/2009 08:17
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The public don't need excuses from this arrogant New Labour creature - simply leaving the House of Commons would do nicely, thankyou.
- Ted, London, 30/10/2009 07:55
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It's a nice feeling knowing these MPs are all laughing at you, isn't it!
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark, 30/10/2009 07:51
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Interesting choice of words Taqui... saying she's "disgraced" rather than "A disgrace" - is she saying she's appalled at her treatment rather than her actions - bad little piggy!
- David, soton, 30/10/2009 07:48
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