Home Secretary Jacqui Smith 'to resign'

Ms Smith was thrust to the forefront of the expenses scandal after her husband admitted charging adult films to the taxpayer.

The humiliated Home Secretary said she would pay back the money and her husband, Richard Timney, publicly said sorry to his wife a few hours later. But he did not apologise directly to taxpayers for wasting their money.

She was also said to have claimed £116,000 between 2001 and 2007 on her £300,000 family home in Redditch, West Midlands because she told Common authorities her main home was a house in London owned by her sister.

A No 10 spokeswoman today dismissed reports of her resignation as “reshuffle speculation”, but a source close to the Home Secretary said she had told Prime Minister Gordon Brown two months ago that she wanted to step down.

Ms Smith's resignation will mark another day of crisis for Labour, as the casualties from the expenses scandal continue to pile up.

And the news will come as a further blow to Mr Brown, who is rapidly losing support just two days away from Thursday's crucial local and European elections.

Along with the Home Secretary, three more MPs have announced plans to stand down today in a dark day for Labour - with Patricia Hewitt and Beverley Hughes both revealing they want to leave the Government at the next election.

David Chaytor, MP for Bury North, said he had made the decision to leave Parliament at the next General Election after weekend talks with senior party officials and his constituency party.

He had already been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party and faced the humiliation of being de-selected as a candidate after a forthcoming star chamber inquiry.

MORE RELATED STORIES...

EXPRESS NEWS: THE LATEST HEADLINES

EXPRESS VIDEO: WATCH THE NEWS AS IT HAPPENS

EXPRESS HYS: SHOULD BRITAIN DITCH THE POUND FOR THE EURO?

The announcement came as Alistair Darling’s career as Chancellor appeared to be hanging by a thread after he was forced to apologise for, and pay back, hundreds of pounds he wrongly claimed on his taxpayer-funded expenses.

Mr Darling said he would repay £700 following the revelation that he kept claiming expenses for a London flat rented out to tenants after being given a free apartment in Downing Street.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon was also under pressure after being forced to issue an apology and pay back money after admitting had “accidentally” overclaimed £384.

Another Labour backbencher, Jim Devine, was today facing de-selection after being referred to the party’s star chamber over allegations that he submitted receipts from a firm that may not have existed.

So far 15 MPs who have lined up to hand in their resignation notices since the furore erupted almost four weeks ago.

Gordon Brown, struggling to contain the expenses row, is to start chairing a new National Democratic Renewal Council made up of ministers from next week.

Asked today for his views about Mr Darling and Mr Hoon, Mr Brown’s spokesman said: “He thinks they are both doing very good jobs.”

Support for Labour has plunged to level pegging with the Liberal Democrats at just 18 per cent, a poll revealed last night.

The survey put the Tories ahead at 40 per cent, with support for Labour slumping by 10 per cent in a month in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Conservative leader David Cameron said that he was “sickened to the core” by the revelations about MPs’ expenses which have emerged over the past few weeks.

“It sickens me to the core that we are going through this,” he said.

“Yes, it is our fault and we have got to sort it out, but it is bringing shame on our system and that is such a sad thing in what is still a great democracy and a great Parliament and still the best way of changing our country for the better.”