Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's husband was forced to make a humiliating apology this afternoon for causing her embarrassment over an expenses claim which included adult films he watched.
Speaking outside the couple's home in Redditch, Worcestershire, Richard Timney told reporters: 'I am really sorry for any embarrassment I have caused Jacqui.
'I can fully understand why people might be angry and offended by this,
'Quite obviously a claim should never have been made for these films, and as you know that money is being paid back.'
Mr Timney's apology follows a statement earlier by Ms Smith who promised to pay back the money she wrongly claimed for the television package.
She had 'mistakenly' submitted the expenses claim which included five pay-per-view films, including the two adult movies which were viewed at her family home in her Redditch constituency.
The £67 bill was submitted last June as part of Ms Smith's expenses.
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Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, claimed £240 in taxpayer-funded expenses to buy an Apple iPhone for her husband.
Miss Smith bought the top-of-the-range mobile phone for Richard Timney, her husband of 22 years, who is paid to work as her constituency office manager in Redditch.
Documents appear to show she then began claiming expenses to cover the cost of both their monthly mobile telephone bills.
Mr Timney embarrassed his wife earlier this year, when it emerged that the cost of two pornographic films he watched at their home had been included on one of her expenses claims.
Miss Smith billed taxpayers for 90 per cent of the cost of the phone, on the basis that 90 per cent of the calls made by Mr Timney would be related to her work as an MP.
As well as working as a regular phone, the iPhone handset allows users to surf the internet, listen to their music collection and play computer games.
In a letter sent to the Commons fees office in January last year, Miss Smith wrote: “Until now I have not claimed for the use of my mobile phone, nor that of Richard Timney... I should like to claim for both phones from now on and backdate the claim to the start of this financial year. “I would estimate that 90 per cent of the costs are related to my work as an MP... I hope that this estimation is acceptable.”
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