Blue movies on expenses: How Jacqui Smith's husband watched pornographic movies... paid for by the taxpayer

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s political future was in jeopardy this morning after it was revealed that her husband used her Commons expenses allowance to pay to watch pornographic films.

Richard Timney, who works as Ms Smith’s Commons adviser, used part of the Minister’s second-homes allowance to pay for the blue movies he watched on a subscription television channel.

The relationship between Ms Smith and her husband was said by Government insiders to be ‘very difficult,’ but stressed that the couple were still together.

It is understood that Mr Timney had been watching explicit adult movies on channels broadcast on the Virgin Media cable TV service.

Ms Smith was said to be 'mortified' today after she was forced to offer a humiliating apology over the expenses claim.

The Home Secretary said she 'mistakenly' submitted an expenses claim which included five pay-per-view films, including two adult movies which were viewed at her family home in her Redditch constituency.

A friend said the Home Secretary knew there was 'no excuse' for the error but added: 'To say she's angry with her husband is an understatement.
'Jacqui was not there when these films were watched.

'She's furious and mortified.'

Ms Smith said in a statement: 'I am sorry that in claiming for my internet connection, I mistakenly claimed for a television package alongside it.

'As soon as the matter was brought to my attention, I took immediate steps to contact the relevant parliamentary authorities and rectify the situation.

'All money claimed for the television package will be paid back in full.'

But the Home Secretary was said to be 'getting on with her job' today despite her embarrassment.

Subscribers to the cable service can access X-rated films on the Playboy Channel, the Adult Channel and Television X for around £11 a month. It is also possible to order adult channels on a pay-per-night basis for £5.

The £67 Virgin Media bill was submitted last June as part of Ms Smith's expenses.
It included two 18-rated features, each costing £5, which were viewed on April 1 and April 6 last year.

The bill also included two viewings of the film Ocean's 13 - at £3.75 each - and an additional £3.50 to watch the film Surf's Up.

Tory MP Philip Davies said last night that if the porn-movie claims were true, the Home Secretary would have to resign. 

‘Claiming that her sister’s back bedroom is her main home is one thing but this could push her over the cliff. It is surely not legitimate to use Commons’ second-home allowances to buy blue movies. If this is true, I cannot see how she can survive.’ 

Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik said the revelations were 'immensely embarrassing' for the Home Secretary.
He told Sky News: 'I have no issue with the genre, I do have an issue with one thing, which is he shouldn't really be claiming this back and he just obviously wasn't thinking about this.

'This is immensely embarrassing for Jacqui on a personal and domestic level, I haven't got any particular issue about what they watch in their own time, I do have an issue about the fact that he has compromised her.'

He added: 'My personal view is we should get away from the whole thing so that we can claim our travel expenses, because that is very variable depending on where you live, but the rest of it should be put on salary and then it's up to us.'

The revelation comes as The Mail on Sunday launches a petition to demand a full enquiry into MPs' expenses.

Fellow Tory MP Mark Field added: ‘The entire Commons allowance system is now indefensible. It’s one thing to make dubious claims on the location of your second home but for the husband of a Home Secretary to be claiming for pornographic TV is completely beyond the pale.

‘It’s no good Gordon Brown promising an inquiry at some point in the future. This must be reformed now.’

Ms Smith is already at the centre of huge row after The Mail on Sunday revealed that she had claimed more than £116,000 for a ‘second home’ while effectively lodging with her sister. 

She claims the Additional Costs Allowance, currently a tax-free £24,006 a year, on the detached house in her West Midlands constituency where her husband and two young children live, which she bought for £300,000 five years ago.

She is able to do so because she told the Commons authorities that her ‘main home’ is a house in South London solely owned by her sister, Sara, where she stays on some weekdays.

But neighbours have challenged her claim that she spends more nights there each week than her family home in the West Midlands.

As well as adult channels on subscription, Virgin Media has an On Demand service, which allows any adult viewers to pay for and watch movies when they want. 

Access is via the remote control and films purchased can be watched repeatedly within a 16-hour rental period.

On Demand movies have DVD-like controls enabling viewers to fast forward, rewind and pause pictures. 

The Adult TV channels available on subscription are: 
Playboy TV, described as ‘all the best of amateur video and adult entertainment television’, this costs £11 each month. 
The Adult Channel, which gives viewers access to ‘full length adult films’ at £11 a month.
Television X, described as ‘the best adult entertainment’ at £11 a month.

An alternative package offers all three channels at £17 a month.

The type of material available on the adult channels include films with explicit titles such as Happy Husbands and Willing Wives, Dirty Debutantes, and Sweaty Sex. Subscription pornography channels in Britain carry an 18-certificate, and exclude the ‘hardcore’ R18 films.

Just three months ago, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Mr Timney – who is paid £40,000 of public money a year as Ms Smith’s to run her Redditch constituency office – was behind a letter-writing campaign defending the Government in her local paper. 

Mr Timney had a series of letters published in the Redditch Advertiser backing Ms Smith’s identity card plans and attacking the Tories over schools, without revealing that he was married to the woman responsible for the policies. 

The ACA allows MPs to claim for television subscriptions at their second home. Last year, under freedom of information requests, it emerged that Gordon Brown claimed for a Sky TV subscription and television licence.

In an unprecedented move, Commons officials have spent the last year preparing to publish over a million individual invoices and receipts relating to all MPs’ expenses claims dating back over the last four years. The publication is scheduled to take place before the summer.  continues here

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