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| Jacqui Smith 'quit over porn row' | Jacqui Smith 'quit over porn row' |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Former home secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted she quit the cabinet partly because of the expenses row over pornography watched by her husband. | |
| At the time Ms Smith's aides said she was leaving to concentrate on retaining her constituency and "for her family". | At the time Ms Smith's aides said she was leaving to concentrate on retaining her constituency and "for her family". |
| But, speaking for the first time since leaving the cabinet six weeks ago, she told the Guardian newspaper that the pornography scandal had been a factor. | |
| Ms Smith, MP for Redditch, said: "It's part of the reason I resigned." | |
| She added: "You become a person who is associated with these things." | |
| Describing herself as "the poster girl for the expenses scandal", she continued: "My whole life has been about trying to do the right thing and this is hung around my neck. | Describing herself as "the poster girl for the expenses scandal", she continued: "My whole life has been about trying to do the right thing and this is hung around my neck. |
| I left the Home Office a better place Jacqui Smith | I left the Home Office a better place Jacqui Smith |
| "Will it ever go away? I don't know if it ever will." | "Will it ever go away? I don't know if it ever will." |
| Ms Smith also revealed she had previously argued with her husband and office manager Richard Timney over the morality of watching pornography. | Ms Smith also revealed she had previously argued with her husband and office manager Richard Timney over the morality of watching pornography. |
| She said: "I would say to him I think porn is wrong because of my feminist background. | She said: "I would say to him I think porn is wrong because of my feminist background. |
| "It didn't happen a lot, I was much more angry with him about the fact we had not properly checked the expense claim [which included the explicit films] than about the film." | "It didn't happen a lot, I was much more angry with him about the fact we had not properly checked the expense claim [which included the explicit films] than about the film." |
| Ms Smith also said the government had become distracted by the row over the how long terrorist suspects should be held without charge. | Ms Smith also said the government had become distracted by the row over the how long terrorist suspects should be held without charge. |
| 'Distorted focus' | 'Distorted focus' |
| Asked if anything gave her sleepless nights, she replied: "42-day detention for terror suspects. | Asked if anything gave her sleepless nights, she replied: "42-day detention for terror suspects. |
| "I'm not sure the effort and political capital and time we used on it was justified even had we been successful in getting it through. | "I'm not sure the effort and political capital and time we used on it was justified even had we been successful in getting it through. |
| "We spent too long on it and it distorted the focus we had on terrorism." | "We spent too long on it and it distorted the focus we had on terrorism." |
| But the former home secretary, a surprise appointment in a role known as a graveyard for politicians, insisted she did a good job. | But the former home secretary, a surprise appointment in a role known as a graveyard for politicians, insisted she did a good job. |
| "I left the Home Office a better place in terms of morale, ability to communicate, punch its weight", she added. | "I left the Home Office a better place in terms of morale, ability to communicate, punch its weight", she added. |