Jacqui Smith
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith (born 3 November 1962) is a member of the British Labour Party
. She served as the Member of Parliament
for Redditch
from 1997
until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary
, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State
— after Margaret Thatcher
(Prime Minister
) and Margaret Beckett
(Foreign Secretary
).
She was one of the MP
s investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards
over a variety of inappropriate expense claims Smith, whose case arguably became one of the most high-profile of the MPs expenses claims, was found to have "clearly" broken the rules on second home expenses and ordered to apologise. On 5 June 2009, she stood down as Home Secretary in the Cabinet reshuffle, and lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch in the 2010 General Election.
, Smith attended Dyson Perrins High School in Malvern
. Her parents were teachers, and both Labour councillors; although her mother briefly joined the SDP. Her local MP, Conservative
backbencher Sir Michael Spicer, recalled in Parliament in 2003 how he had first met her when he was addressing the sixth form at The Chase School
, where Smith's mother was a teacher. "So great was my eloquence that she immediately rushed off and joined the Labour Party." Smith read PPE at Hertford College, Oxford
and gained a PGCE
from Worcester College of Higher Education.
Working as a school teacher, Smith taught Economics at Arrow Vale High School
in Redditch from 1986 to 1988 and at Worcester Sixth Form College
, before becoming Head of Economics and GNVQ Co-ordinator at Haybridge High School
, Hagley
in 1990.
Smith also worked as secretary of the National Organisation of Labour Students and describes herself as having a "feminist background".
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
Having failed to be elected as a Labour MP for the safe Conservative seat of Mid Worcestershire in 1992
, Smith was elected MP for Redditch
at the 1997 general election
, as part of a (then) record number of female MPs elected to the House of Commons who were pejoratively tagged "Blair Babes". Smith was re-elected in 2001
and 2005
; after the 2005 election she had a majority of just 1,948 (4.6% of the vote), owing to boundary changes.
Smith entered the Government in July 1999 as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the Department for Education and Employment, working with the Minister for School Standards Estelle Morris
. She then became a Minister of State
at the Department for Health
after the 2001 general election
. She was appointed as the Government's deputy Minister for Women in 2003, working alongside Secretary of State
Patricia Hewitt
. In this role she published the Government's proposals for Civil Partnerships, a system designed to offer same-sex couples an opportunity to gain legal recognition for their relationship with an associated set of rights and responsibilities.
, Smith was appointed to serve as the Minister of State
for School
s in the Department for Education and Skills, replacing Stephen Twigg
who had lost his seat. She received praise in this role – often outperforming her superior Ruth Kelly
. Teacher trade union
sources stated that Smith "talked to us on our level".
she was appointed as the Government's Chief Whip
. In a period when supporters of Gordon Brown
were pushing Prime Minister
Tony Blair
to resign, she was successfully able to calm the situation down. The BBC
's political editor Nick Robinson
described her as being effective at "making peace between the warring Blair and Brown factions".
Smith was regarded as a loyal Blairite
during Tony Blair's premiership
, a position reflected in her voting record, and she was brought to tears by Blair's farewell appearance in the House of Commons.
in Gordon Brown
's first Cabinet reshuffle
of 28 June 2007. Just one day into her new job bombs were found
in London and a terrorist attack
took place in Glasgow
the following day.
On 24 January 2008, she announced new powers for the police, including the proposal to hold "terrorist suspects" or those "linked to terrorism" for forty-two days without charge
. In the same month Smith was involved in controversy when she admitted that she would not feel safe on the streets of London at night. Such statements were compounded by her suggestion that walking on streets at night was not "a thing that people do". Critics suggested her statements were an admission that the government had failed to tackle crime effectively. Smith also introduced legislation to toughen the prostitution laws of England and Wales
, making it a criminal offence to pay for sex with a prostitute controlled by a pimp
, with the possibility that anyone caught paying for sex with an illegally trafficked woman could face rape charges.
Smith introduced a crime mapping scheme which will allows citizens of England and Wales to access local crime information and how to combat crime. As Home Secretary, she was able to announce that minor crime dropped year on year under the Labour government, and continued to do so in 2008. Her officials, however, acknowledged that major crimes such as serious assault, rape and murder were at a higher level than in 1997.
Smith managed to pass the 42-day detention law plans in the House of Commons, despite heavy opposition. The House of Lords voted overwhelmingly against the law, with some of the Lords reportedly characterising it as "fatally flawed, ill thought through and unnecessary", stating that "it seeked to further erode fundamental legal and civil rights". In March 2009, Smith published the first ever public Counter Terror Strategy.
When Damian Green
was arrested in his commons office, Smith stated that she was not informed of the impending arrest. The Metropolitan Police said that Green was "arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office". A junior Home Office official Christopher Galley was later arrested regarding the same alleged offences as Green, and was released on bail. He was not charged, but he was suspended from his Home Office job while the investigation continued. He was later sacked from his position for gross misconduct. Green did not dispute having dealings with the Home Office official.
In March 2009 a leaked poll of Labour Party members revealed that Smith was considered to be the worst performing member of the cabinet, with only 56% of her party believing she was doing a good job.
5.3 billion, and that it would first become compulsory for foreign students and airport staff. It was planned that the cards would be made available from high-street shops at an estimated cost of £60. Smith defended her decision to use high-street shops, and stated that the hope was to make enrolment in the scheme a less intimidating experience and to make the cards easier to access. She claimed, despite evidence to the contrary, that the majority of the population was in favour of the scheme. In another privacy-related issue, Smith said she was disappointed at the European Court of Human Rights
' decision to strike down a law allowing the government to store the DNA and fingerprints of people with no criminal record; in December 2008 an estimated 850,000 such DNA samples were being held in England and Wales
. Her compromise was to scale down the length of time that data could be kept, with a maximum limit of 12 years. A number of commentators felt that this went against the spirit of the Court's decision.
a few times in Oxford in the 1980s. "I did break the law... I was wrong... drugs are wrong", she said. Asked why students today should listen when she urged them not to try the drug, she said that the dangers of cannabis use had become clearer, including mental health issues and the increasing strength of the drug over the past 25 years. Smith's admission was made public the day after Gordon Brown appointed her head of a new government review of the UK Drugs strategy.
In May 2008, against the recommendations of her own scientific advisers, Smith reversed the government's 2004 decision to downgrade cannabis
to a class C drug, returning it back to the higher penalisation status of class B, with the law change taking effect on 26 January 2009. According to her most senior expert drugs adviser Professor David Nutt
, the following exchange took place between Smith and himself:
Smith: "You cannot compare the harms of an illegal activity with a legal one."
Nutt: "But don't we need to compare the harms in order to see if something should be illegal?"
Smith (after a long pause): "You can't compare the harms of an illegal activity with a legal one."
In February 2009 Smith was accused by Nutt of making a political decision in rejecting the scientific advice to downgrade ecstasy from a class A drug. The advisory council on the misuse of drugs (ACMD) report on ecstasy, based on a 12-month study of 4,000 academic papers, concluded that it is nowhere near as dangerous as other class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine, and should be downgraded to class B alongside amphetamines and cannabis. The advice was not followed; the government saying that it was "not prepared to send a message to young people that we take ecstasy less seriously". Smith was also widely criticised by the scientific community for bullying Professor Nutt into apologising for his factual comments that, in the course of a normal year, more people died from falling off horses than died from taking ecstasy.
On 8 February 2009, it was revealed in the press
that Smith had designated a house in London owned by her sister as her main residence in order to claim a parliamentary allowance for her house in Redditch
as a secondary home, despite explicitly stating on her website that she "lives in Redditch". She has claimed more than £116,000 over six years from this arrangement. When asked whether it was fair that she made claims believed to have been made for items such as a flat screen TV and scatter cushions, she said that analyses of her receipts had been very particular. In response to criticisms over her housing allowances, she said it was the "nature of the job" that MPs had to furnish and run two properties. However, Sir Alistair Graham
, the former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
was critical of her actions stating that naming her sister's spare bedroom as her main home was "near fraudulent". In reply to this comment, it was reported that Smith threatened to take legal action for 'malicious falsehood'
It was also reported that Smith had claimed expenses for a telecoms bill that contained two pornographic films and two other pay-per-view
films. Smith said it was a mistake, and she would repay the amount. This and other cases prompted calls for reform of the additional costs allowance and a new system of payments to be introduced. Gordon Brown supported her and said she had done nothing wrong.
On 5 June the Police at Scotland Yard
said that they had not found evidence of criminal activity and that it was 'highly unlikely' that MPs would face charges, however there was still a small number of allegations' involving 'phantom mortgages' that needed further investigation. The Police said that the incidents of 'flipping' second homes was not a matter for Police investigation.
In October 2009, it was reported that the Standards Commissioner, John Lyon
, had looked into complaints over her expense claims. He concluded that her constituency home was in fact her main home, and that she was in breach of Commons rules, despite "significant mitigating circumstances". The claims for pay-per-view films were also found to be in breach. Ms Smith was told to "apologise to the House by means of a personal statement." Ms Smith reacted by saying that she was "disappointed that this process has not led to a fairer set of conclusions, based on objective and consistent application of the rules as they were at the time.".
In an interview with Radio Times
published in February 2011, Smith claimed that her expenses had been scrutinised because she was a woman, saying: "[I] know that it was my expenses people looked at first because I was a woman and should have been at home looking after my husband and children." Smith said that she had felt "frozen rather than angry" on learning that her husband had entered a parliamentary expenses claim for two pornographic films.
, who instructed London lawyers to sue Smith for 'serious and damaging defamatory allegations'. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The home secretary has made it clear that if such a case was brought that any legal proceedings would be robustly defended."
Smith defended the choice of individuals by declaring, 'If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded.' Writers from The Guardian
and the Daily Mail
criticized Smith's actions.
in the next reshuffle, expected after the local and European elections
. She left office on 5 June and returned to the back benches. She was replaced by Alan Johnson
. In a subsequent interview with Total Politics
magazine regarding her time as Home Secretary, Smith described how she felt under-qualified for her Ministerial roles, adding "when I became home secretary, I'd never run a major organisation. I hope I did a good job. But if I did, it was more by luck than by any kind of development of skills. I think we should have been better trained. I think there should have been more induction.". Smith's major achievements as Home Secretary were introduction of tougher prostitution laws, a reduction in crime rates and promotion of Police Community Support Officer's
In the General Election on 6 May 2010, Jacqui Smith lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch
to Karen Lumley
of the Conservative Party
, who won the seat with a majority of 5,821 votes. Smith said that she had been "immensely honoured" to serve Redditch. Smith wrote an open letter to the new Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May
, advising her that the post was often seen as a "poisoned chalice".
In 2010, she has started working as a consultant for KPMG
and as an adviser to Sarina Russo Job Access. She is currently standing to be vice-chairman of the BBC Trust. Smith presented a documentary on pornography, for BBC Radio 5 Live
, called Porn Again which was broadcast on March 3, 2011. It was be followed by a special edition of the Tony Livesey
show on pornography.
She has regularly been on This Week
and also Question Time
. She also contributed to the The Purple Book in 2011, putting forward new ideas on crime and policing.
, London) in October 1987 in Malvern, Worcestershire
, and they have two sons. In June 2008 the Independent newspaper reported that she was a season-ticket holder at Aston Villa
Football Club.
In December 2008, Timney was discovered to be behind a series of letters praising the work of Smith that were sent to newspapers; however, he had failed to disclose that he was her husband and managing her constituency office.
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Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. She served as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Redditch
Redditch (UK Parliament constituency)
Redditch is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created in 1997 following major changes to the Mid Worcestershire constituency.- Boundaries :This...
from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State
Great Offices of State
The Great Offices of State in the United Kingdom are the four most senior and prestigious posts in the British parliamentary system of government. They are the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary. Since 11 May 2010 these posts have been...
— after Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
(Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
) and Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
(Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
).
She was one of the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons.He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.- Tasks :...
over a variety of inappropriate expense claims Smith, whose case arguably became one of the most high-profile of the MPs expenses claims, was found to have "clearly" broken the rules on second home expenses and ordered to apologise. On 5 June 2009, she stood down as Home Secretary in the Cabinet reshuffle, and lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch in the 2010 General Election.
Early life
Born in Malvern, WorcestershireMalvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, Smith attended Dyson Perrins High School in Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
. Her parents were teachers, and both Labour councillors; although her mother briefly joined the SDP. Her local MP, Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
backbencher Sir Michael Spicer, recalled in Parliament in 2003 how he had first met her when he was addressing the sixth form at The Chase School
The Chase (school)
The Chase School, also referred to as The Chase Technology College and The Chase High School, is a secondary school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It was opened by Lord Cobham on 26 March 1955 as a Secondary Modern...
, where Smith's mother was a teacher. "So great was my eloquence that she immediately rushed off and joined the Labour Party." Smith read PPE at Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is located in Catte Street, directly opposite the main entrance of the original Bodleian Library. As of 2006, the college had a financial endowment of £52m. There are 612 students , plus various visiting...
and gained a PGCE
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one-year course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for undergraduate degree holders that allows them to train to be a teacher....
from Worcester College of Higher Education.
Working as a school teacher, Smith taught Economics at Arrow Vale High School
Arrow Vale High School
Arrow Vale High School is a co-educational comprehensive school for pupils aged 13–18, located in Redditch, Worcestershire, England. It currently has around 700 pupils on roll with 120 in the sixth form. In 1999 the school was the first in Worcestershire to be designated as a Sports College.The...
in Redditch from 1986 to 1988 and at Worcester Sixth Form College
Worcester Sixth Form College
Worcester Sixth Form College in Worcester, England, in the south-east of the city, was founded on the site of the former Worcester Grammar School for Girls following reorganisation in 1983. -Admissions:...
, before becoming Head of Economics and GNVQ Co-ordinator at Haybridge High School
Haybridge High School
Haybridge High School and Sixth Form is a 11–18 mixed comprehensive school with approximately 1,250 students in Hagley, serving North West Worcestershire. The school is a Technology College, with the two additional specialisms of Applied Learning and Sports...
, Hagley
Hagley
Hagley is a village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001, but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish...
in 1990.
Smith also worked as secretary of the National Organisation of Labour Students and describes herself as having a "feminist background".
Member of Parliament
Smith was selected to stand for election for Labour through an all-women shortlistAll-women shortlists
The use of all-women shortlists is the political practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. Though the practice is available to all parties, only...
. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws. Despite the ruling she remained in place as the candidate for the following year's election.
Having failed to be elected as a Labour MP for the safe Conservative seat of Mid Worcestershire in 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, Smith was elected MP for Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, as part of a (then) record number of female MPs elected to the House of Commons who were pejoratively tagged "Blair Babes". Smith was re-elected in 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
; after the 2005 election she had a majority of just 1,948 (4.6% of the vote), owing to boundary changes.
Smith entered the Government in July 1999 as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the Department for Education and Employment, working with the Minister for School Standards Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
. She then became a Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department for Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
after the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. She was appointed as the Government's deputy Minister for Women in 2003, working alongside Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....
. In this role she published the Government's proposals for Civil Partnerships, a system designed to offer same-sex couples an opportunity to gain legal recognition for their relationship with an associated set of rights and responsibilities.
Minister for Schools
Following the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, Smith was appointed to serve as the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for School
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s in the Department for Education and Skills, replacing Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997...
who had lost his seat. She received praise in this role – often outperforming her superior Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
. Teacher trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
sources stated that Smith "talked to us on our level".
Government Chief Whip
In the 2006 reshuffleCabinet shuffle
In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet....
she was appointed as the Government's Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
. In a period when supporters of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
were pushing Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
to resign, she was successfully able to calm the situation down. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's political editor Nick Robinson
Nick Robinson
Nicholas Anthony "Nick" Robinson is a British journalist and political editor for the BBC. Robinson was interested in politics from a young age, and went on to study a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree at Oxford University, where he was also President of the Oxford University Conservative...
described her as being effective at "making peace between the warring Blair and Brown factions".
Smith was regarded as a loyal Blairite
Blairite
In British politics, the term Blairism refers to the political ideology of former leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left both positions in 2007 to become Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East...
during Tony Blair's premiership
Premiership of Tony Blair
The Premiership of Tony Blair began on 2 May 1997 and ended on 27 June 2007. While serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Blair concurrently served as the First Lord of the Treasury, the Minister for the Civil Service, the Leader of the Labour Party , and a Member of Parliament for the...
, a position reflected in her voting record, and she was brought to tears by Blair's farewell appearance in the House of Commons.
Home Secretary
Smith was appointed Home SecretaryHome Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
in Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
's first Cabinet reshuffle
Brown Ministry
Gordon Brown took office as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 and formed his Government. It ended, upon his resignation, on 11 May 2010. In his inaugural cabinet Brown appointed the UKs first female Home Secretary Jacqui Smith....
of 28 June 2007. Just one day into her new job bombs were found
2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
in London and a terrorist attack
2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
took place in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
the following day.
On 24 January 2008, she announced new powers for the police, including the proposal to hold "terrorist suspects" or those "linked to terrorism" for forty-two days without charge
Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008
The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which increased police powers for the stated purpose of countering terrorism...
. In the same month Smith was involved in controversy when she admitted that she would not feel safe on the streets of London at night. Such statements were compounded by her suggestion that walking on streets at night was not "a thing that people do". Critics suggested her statements were an admission that the government had failed to tackle crime effectively. Smith also introduced legislation to toughen the prostitution laws of England and Wales
Prostitution in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, prostitution itself is not a crime, but a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, owning a brothel, pimping and pandering, are crimes....
, making it a criminal offence to pay for sex with a prostitute controlled by a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, with the possibility that anyone caught paying for sex with an illegally trafficked woman could face rape charges.
Smith introduced a crime mapping scheme which will allows citizens of England and Wales to access local crime information and how to combat crime. As Home Secretary, she was able to announce that minor crime dropped year on year under the Labour government, and continued to do so in 2008. Her officials, however, acknowledged that major crimes such as serious assault, rape and murder were at a higher level than in 1997.
Smith managed to pass the 42-day detention law plans in the House of Commons, despite heavy opposition. The House of Lords voted overwhelmingly against the law, with some of the Lords reportedly characterising it as "fatally flawed, ill thought through and unnecessary", stating that "it seeked to further erode fundamental legal and civil rights". In March 2009, Smith published the first ever public Counter Terror Strategy.
When Damian Green
Damian Green
Damian Howard Green is a British politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford since 1997. He came to national prominence after being elected in his constituency. Before standing for parliament, Damian Green was Channel 4's business editor...
was arrested in his commons office, Smith stated that she was not informed of the impending arrest. The Metropolitan Police said that Green was "arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office". A junior Home Office official Christopher Galley was later arrested regarding the same alleged offences as Green, and was released on bail. He was not charged, but he was suspended from his Home Office job while the investigation continued. He was later sacked from his position for gross misconduct. Green did not dispute having dealings with the Home Office official.
In March 2009 a leaked poll of Labour Party members revealed that Smith was considered to be the worst performing member of the cabinet, with only 56% of her party believing she was doing a good job.
National identity legislation
In May 2009, Smith announced that the cost of introducing the National Identity Card project (a scheme abandoned by the incoming Liberal-Conservative coalition government in May 2010), had risen to an estimated £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
5.3 billion, and that it would first become compulsory for foreign students and airport staff. It was planned that the cards would be made available from high-street shops at an estimated cost of £60. Smith defended her decision to use high-street shops, and stated that the hope was to make enrolment in the scheme a less intimidating experience and to make the cards easier to access. She claimed, despite evidence to the contrary, that the majority of the population was in favour of the scheme. In another privacy-related issue, Smith said she was disappointed at the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
' decision to strike down a law allowing the government to store the DNA and fingerprints of people with no criminal record; in December 2008 an estimated 850,000 such DNA samples were being held in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
. Her compromise was to scale down the length of time that data could be kept, with a maximum limit of 12 years. A number of commentators felt that this went against the spirit of the Court's decision.
Drug policy
On 19 July 2007 Smith admitted to smoking cannabisCannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
a few times in Oxford in the 1980s. "I did break the law... I was wrong... drugs are wrong", she said. Asked why students today should listen when she urged them not to try the drug, she said that the dangers of cannabis use had become clearer, including mental health issues and the increasing strength of the drug over the past 25 years. Smith's admission was made public the day after Gordon Brown appointed her head of a new government review of the UK Drugs strategy.
In May 2008, against the recommendations of her own scientific advisers, Smith reversed the government's 2004 decision to downgrade cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
to a class C drug, returning it back to the higher penalisation status of class B, with the law change taking effect on 26 January 2009. According to her most senior expert drugs adviser Professor David Nutt
David Nutt
David John Nutt is a British psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety and sleep. He was until 2009 a professor at the University of Bristol heading their Psychopharmacology Unit...
, the following exchange took place between Smith and himself:
Smith: "You cannot compare the harms of an illegal activity with a legal one."
Nutt: "But don't we need to compare the harms in order to see if something should be illegal?"
Smith (after a long pause): "You can't compare the harms of an illegal activity with a legal one."
In February 2009 Smith was accused by Nutt of making a political decision in rejecting the scientific advice to downgrade ecstasy from a class A drug. The advisory council on the misuse of drugs (ACMD) report on ecstasy, based on a 12-month study of 4,000 academic papers, concluded that it is nowhere near as dangerous as other class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine, and should be downgraded to class B alongside amphetamines and cannabis. The advice was not followed; the government saying that it was "not prepared to send a message to young people that we take ecstasy less seriously". Smith was also widely criticised by the scientific community for bullying Professor Nutt into apologising for his factual comments that, in the course of a normal year, more people died from falling off horses than died from taking ecstasy.
Expenses controversies
Smith was investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over accusations that she had inappropriately designated her sister's home in London as her main residence. The arrangement had allowed Smith to claim over £116,000 on her family's Redditch home since becoming an MP. Smith contended that she had done nothing wrong.On 8 February 2009, it was revealed in the press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
that Smith had designated a house in London owned by her sister as her main residence in order to claim a parliamentary allowance for her house in Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
as a secondary home, despite explicitly stating on her website that she "lives in Redditch". She has claimed more than £116,000 over six years from this arrangement. When asked whether it was fair that she made claims believed to have been made for items such as a flat screen TV and scatter cushions, she said that analyses of her receipts had been very particular. In response to criticisms over her housing allowances, she said it was the "nature of the job" that MPs had to furnish and run two properties. However, Sir Alistair Graham
Alistair Graham
Sir John Alistair Graham is a well known figure in British public life. He was Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 2003 until April 2007....
, the former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
Committee on Standards in Public Life
The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an advisory non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom Government.The Committee on Standards in Public Life is constituted as a standing body with its members appointed for up to three years.-History:...
was critical of her actions stating that naming her sister's spare bedroom as her main home was "near fraudulent". In reply to this comment, it was reported that Smith threatened to take legal action for 'malicious falsehood'
It was also reported that Smith had claimed expenses for a telecoms bill that contained two pornographic films and two other pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
films. Smith said it was a mistake, and she would repay the amount. This and other cases prompted calls for reform of the additional costs allowance and a new system of payments to be introduced. Gordon Brown supported her and said she had done nothing wrong.
On 5 June the Police at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
said that they had not found evidence of criminal activity and that it was 'highly unlikely' that MPs would face charges, however there was still a small number of allegations' involving 'phantom mortgages' that needed further investigation. The Police said that the incidents of 'flipping' second homes was not a matter for Police investigation.
In October 2009, it was reported that the Standards Commissioner, John Lyon
John Lyon (commissioner)
John Lyon, CB, is the current British Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. He commenced his appointment, which was for a period of five years, on 1 January 2008....
, had looked into complaints over her expense claims. He concluded that her constituency home was in fact her main home, and that she was in breach of Commons rules, despite "significant mitigating circumstances". The claims for pay-per-view films were also found to be in breach. Ms Smith was told to "apologise to the House by means of a personal statement." Ms Smith reacted by saying that she was "disappointed that this process has not led to a fairer set of conclusions, based on objective and consistent application of the rules as they were at the time.".
In an interview with Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
published in February 2011, Smith claimed that her expenses had been scrutinised because she was a woman, saying: "[I] know that it was my expenses people looked at first because I was a woman and should have been at home looking after my husband and children." Smith said that she had felt "frozen rather than angry" on learning that her husband had entered a parliamentary expenses claim for two pornographic films.
Exclusion list
On 5 May 2009, Smith named 16 'undesirable individuals', including convicted murderers and advocates of violence, who were to be banned from entering the United Kingdom over their alleged threat to public order. Controversially, the exclusion list included outspoken American talk radio host Michael SavageMichael Savage
Michael Savage may refer to:* Michael Savage , American radio host, author and conservative political commentator* Michael Joseph Savage , Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1935–1940...
, who instructed London lawyers to sue Smith for 'serious and damaging defamatory allegations'. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The home secretary has made it clear that if such a case was brought that any legal proceedings would be robustly defended."
Smith defended the choice of individuals by declaring, 'If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded.' Writers from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
criticized Smith's actions.
After the Home Office
On 2 June 2009, Smith confirmed that she would leave the CabinetCabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
in the next reshuffle, expected after the local and European elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
. She left office on 5 June and returned to the back benches. She was replaced by Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
. In a subsequent interview with Total Politics
Total Politics
Total Politics is a British political magazine described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs, MEPs, peers, political journalists, members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and all...
magazine regarding her time as Home Secretary, Smith described how she felt under-qualified for her Ministerial roles, adding "when I became home secretary, I'd never run a major organisation. I hope I did a good job. But if I did, it was more by luck than by any kind of development of skills. I think we should have been better trained. I think there should have been more induction.". Smith's major achievements as Home Secretary were introduction of tougher prostitution laws, a reduction in crime rates and promotion of Police Community Support Officer's
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
In the General Election on 6 May 2010, Jacqui Smith lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch
Redditch (UK Parliament constituency)
Redditch is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was created in 1997 following major changes to the Mid Worcestershire constituency.- Boundaries :This...
to Karen Lumley
Karen Lumley
Karen Elizabeth Lumley is a Conservative Party politician in England. She has been the Member of Parliament for Redditch in Worcestershire since the 2010 general election, when she defeated former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, who won the seat with a majority of 5,821 votes. Smith said that she had been "immensely honoured" to serve Redditch. Smith wrote an open letter to the new Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
, advising her that the post was often seen as a "poisoned chalice".
In 2010, she has started working as a consultant for KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
and as an adviser to Sarina Russo Job Access. She is currently standing to be vice-chairman of the BBC Trust. Smith presented a documentary on pornography, for BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, called Porn Again which was broadcast on March 3, 2011. It was be followed by a special edition of the Tony Livesey
Tony Livesey
Anthony Livesey is a British journalist and broadcaster who currently presents a late night show on BBC Five Live. The show runs from 22.30 to 1:00 from Monday to Thursday.-Early life:...
show on pornography.
She has regularly been on This Week
This Week
This Week is the name of a number of television and radio programmes:* This Week , a Sunday morning political talk show broadcast on ABC in the United States...
and also Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
. She also contributed to the The Purple Book in 2011, putting forward new ideas on crime and policing.
Personal life
Smith married Richard Timney (born 1963 in EalingEaling
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, London) in October 1987 in Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, and they have two sons. In June 2008 the Independent newspaper reported that she was a season-ticket holder at Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
Football Club.
In December 2008, Timney was discovered to be behind a series of letters praising the work of Smith that were sent to newspapers; however, he had failed to disclose that he was her husband and managing her constituency office.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jacqui Smith MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Jacqui Smith MP
- BBC News - Find Your MP: Jacqui Smith
- Open Directory Project — Jacqui Smith directory category
- The Register Jacqui Smith on Technology
Offices held
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