Jacqui Smith in expenses row
Updated on 08 February 2009
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is at the centre of a new MPs' expenses row after it emerged she has claimed taxpayer-funded allowances for a second home while living with her sister.
Ms Smith said she had "fully abided" by the rules by designating her sister's house as her "main" residence, allowing her to claim payments on the Redditch constituency home she shares with her husband and children.
But campaigners said her claim - which a Sunday paper said totalled more than £116,000 over several years - was "morally questionable" and accused her of failing to set an example following recent scandals.
The tax-free Additional Costs Allowance, worth up to £24,006 a year at present - is claimed by MPs for the costs, such as mortgage interest and fuel bills, of working in both Westminster and a constituency.
Under the rules, the main residence is where the MP "spends more nights than any other" although recent guidance said "value for money" for the taxpayer could be used as a factor if there was doubt which home that was.
A spokeswoman for Ms Smith said: "The Home Secretary has always abided fully with Parliament's clear rules on expenses and has long-standing written approval from the Parliamentary Fees office for any agreed expenses.
"She spends the majority of her time in London attending to Government business and has full approval for any associated expenses relating to her second home in her West Midlands constituency."
The spokeswoman said the Home Secretary "makes a contribution to the household" but did not give details of rent or other arrangements.
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