Former Labour Home secretary Jacqui Smith splits from her husband

Former Labour Home secretary Jacqui Smith splits from her husband – who was caught out claiming two porn films on parliamentary expenses – after 33 years together

  • Jacqui Smith has split from her husband who watched expensed two adult films 
  • Ms Smith wrongly claimed £116,000 and apologised in the wake of the scandal 
  • Richard Timney watched the films costing £5 which were footed by the taxpayer
  • The ex Home Secretary revealed the end of her 33-year-old marriage last night

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has split from her husband who watched two adult films claimed on expenses.   

Ms Smith separated from Richard Timney, 57, after 33 years together, and a decade on from her resignation from frontline politics in the wake of the expenses scandal – in which her husband became ignominiously embroiled.

The first female ever to hold the Home Secretary position, Ms Smith, 57, apologised to parliament after wrongly claiming £116,000 in second home allowances in 2009  and then lost her Redditch seat in an election a year later.

Richard Timney giving his apologies for claiming adult entertainment on expenses in 2009

Jacqui Smith has separated from Richard Timney, 57, after 33 years together, and a decade on from her resignation from frontline politics in the wake of the expenses scandal – in which her husband became ignominiously embroiled

Ms Smith, a former economics teacher, entered Parliament as MP for Redditch in 1997 (pictured) when she was 34 after winning the former Tory stronghold

Ms Smith, a former economics teacher, entered Parliament as MP for Redditch in 1997 (pictured) when she was 34 after winning the former Tory stronghold

A mother-of-two, Ms Smith, now a broadcaster, has since paid back the money. 

Last night, Ms Smith, said: ‘I’m enormously sad our 33-year partnership has come to an end but I’ll always be grateful to Richard for the love, family and career we share.’ 

Ms Smith, a former economics teacher, entered Parliament as MP for Redditch in 1997 when she was 34 after winning the former Tory stronghold.

One of the original ‘Blair Babes’, she had already been married to Mr Timney, whom she met at teacher training college, for ten years.

By then he was a civil engineer but he gave up his job to bring up their son James when she became an MP.

Second son Michael was only a year old when Ms Smith, who has kept her maiden name, entered Government as a junior education minister in 1999.

One of the original 'Blair Babes', she had already been married to Mr Timney, whom she met at teacher training college, for ten years. By then he was a civil engineer but he gave up his job to bring up their son James when she became an MP.

One of the original ‘Blair Babes’, she had already been married to Mr Timney, whom she met at teacher training college, for ten years. By then he was a civil engineer but he gave up his job to bring up their son James when she became an MP.

After the 2005 election she became Schools Minister before entering the Cabinet as Chief Whip in 2006. Described by friends as ‘tough as old boots’, she has hung on to the post of Home Secretary for two years.

Meanwhile, Mr Timney, apart from looking after their children, was also employed by his wife as her Parliamentary assistant, for which he was paid £40,000 a year.

Since her career in politics ended, Ms Smith has rebranded herself as a TV personality, appearing as a pundit on a variety of current affairs talk shows. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk