Jacqui Smith

Jacqui Smith

Jacqueline Jill Smith (born 3 November 1962) is a member of the British Labour Party. She was the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010, the first female Home Secretary and the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister) and Margaret Beckett (Foreign Secretary).

Smith was one of the MPs investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over a variety of inappropriate expense claims Smith, whose case was arguably among the most significant of the MPs' expenses cases was never prosecuted and was asked to pay back less than average after investigation by Sir Thomas Legg, was found to have "clearly" broken the rules on expenses and ordered to apologise. On 5 June 2009, she ceased to be Home Secretary in the Cabinet reshuffle, and then lost her seat as Member of Parliament for Redditch in the 2010 General Election.