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Britain's interior minister to quit scandal-hit government
Tue Jun 2, 2009 11:35am EDT
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By Keith Weir and Adrian Croft
LONDON (Reuters) - British interior minister Jacqui Smith plans to resign, a source close to her said on Tuesday, the highest profile casualty of an expenses scandal that has swept through parliament and could yet claim more big names.
Britons are furious that many members of parliament (MPs) have milked the allowances system, claiming from taxpayers the cost of everything from duck houses to cleaning a moat at a time when many voters are struggling in a recession.
Smith's reputation suffered in March when a leaked copy of her parliamentary expenses claims showed she had charged taxpayers for her husband's rental of two pornographic movies.
"She spoke to the prime minister at Easter and said she felt it was the right time to go at the next reshuffle," the source told Reuters.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a rout in European and local elections on Thursday and is expected to reshuffle his team afterwards, making changes ahead of an election due within a year, which the opposition Conservatives are expected to win by a landslide.
There has been speculation this week that finance minister Alistair Darling, who has faced criticism for his own expenses claims, could be moved from the Treasury.
Some commentators say a poor poll showing by Labour could lead to another effort to unseat Brown. Health Secretary Alan Johnson, a more media-savvy figure than the dour Brown, is tipped as a potential replacement.
Support for Brown's Labour Party has plunged and voters angry about the expenses scandal are rapidly losing faith in politicians, opinion polls show.
"It's nothing to do with Gordon," the source close to Smith said. "She feels he is the right man to take us forward to the next election."
All the main parties have been hit by a series of disclosures about their expenses published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper over three-and-a-half weeks with several MPs saying they will not stand at the next election as a result.
Labour, in power since 1997, appears likely to suffer most in the polls having presided over a now-discredited system.
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Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon became the latest senior politician to agree to pay back money after being accused of claiming allowances on two homes at the same time. He said he would repay 384 pounds ($629).
Darling apologized on Monday and said he would repay 350 pounds after overclaiming expenses.
An Ipsos MORI poll published in the Sun newspaper put Labour support at just 18 percent, level with Britain's third party, the Liberal Democrats. It showed the gulf between Brown's party and the Conservatives widening to 22 points. Continued...
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