Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Jacqui Smith put husband’s iPhone on expenses


Miss Smith bought the top-of-the-range mobile phone for Richard Timney, her husband of 22 years, who is paid to work as her constituency office manager in Redditch.

Documents appear to show she then began claiming expenses to cover the cost of both their monthly mobile telephone bills.

Top of the range: the Apple iPhone

Mr Timney embarrassed his wife earlier this year, when it emerged that the cost of two pornographic films he watched at their home had been included on one of her expenses claims.

Miss Smith billed taxpayers for 90 per cent of the cost of the phone, on the basis that 90 per cent of the calls made by Mr Timney would be related to her work as an MP.

As well as working as a regular phone, the iPhone handset allows users to surf the internet, listen to their music collection and play computer games.

In a letter sent to the Commons fees office in January last year, Miss Smith wrote: “Until now I have not claimed for the use of my mobile phone, nor that of Richard Timney... I should like to claim for both phones from now on and backdate the claim to the start of this financial year. “I would estimate that 90 per cent of the costs are related to my work as an MP... I hope that this estimation is acceptable.”

She submitted a receipt from a shop in Redditch, which showed she had paid £268 for an Apple iPhone with an 18-month contract. She claimed back £242.10.

Mr Timney made a public apology in March after admitting that he had watched two adult films that featured on an expenses claim made by his wife. He said that he had submitted the bill for the adult films “accidentally”.

A source close to Miss Smith said last night that her husband had only ever claimed for the cost of the Apple iPhone, which was comparable with the cost of a BlackBerry phone. The source denied that she charged for any bills.

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