Ministers in the spotlight

Here are the most high profile names caught up in the crisis sparked by revelations about MPs' expense claims

Jacqui Smith

Jacqui Smith. Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

The home secretary announced today that she intends to resign from her government post following the controversy over her expense claims. The Redditch MP was forced into a humiliating apology after it emerged that taxpayers had footed the bill for her husband's rental of two pornographic movies. Smith also came under fire for claiming second home allowances on her Redditch family home, while listing a London flat she shares with her sister as her main home. Smith has repaid the £10 cost of the movies.

Geoff Hoon

Geoff Hoon. Photograph: Leon Neal

The transport secretary admitted he had "accidentally" overclaimed £384 when he submitted expenses on two properties at the same time. The error arose because Hoon used Commons expenses to pay the TV licence, gas maintenance bill and home insurance at his Derbyshire property for a year in advance in 2006. However, when he was demoted from leader of the house to Europe minister that July and lost the right to live in a grace-and-favour apartment in Admiralty House, he bought a new flat in London and "flipped" his second home designation so he could claim expenses on it. That meant he was effectively claiming on two properties at the same time. Hoon has since repaid the money.

Alistair Darling

Alistair Darling. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

The chancellor was forced into a humiliating apology for mistakes made on his expenses claims after it emerged he had over-claimed on service charges for a London flat. Despite initially denying the error, he later announced he would repay £668. The move came amid claims that Darling was a "serial flipper", who had designated four properties as his second home in four years. He has also come under fire over claims he employed an accountant at taxpayers' expense to complete his self-assessment forms.

Hazel Blears

Hazel Blears. Photograph: Rex Features/Rex Features

The communities secretary claimed for three properties in a single year at taxpayers' expense. She also spent time in one of London's most fashionable hotels paid for from public funds. In March 2004, Blears stated that her second home was the property she owned in her Salford constituency. During that month she bought an £850 television set and video recorder from Selfridges, and a £651 mattress from Marks & Spencer. Her mortgage on the Salford property, which she has owned with her husband since June 1997, was £300 a month. The following month she changed her declaration and began claiming that a flat in Kennington, south London, was her second home. She started claiming £850 a month for the mortgage on the flat.

In August, 2004, she sold the flat for £200,000, making a profit of £45,000. The buyer was Lady Henig, a former Labour MP from Lancashire.

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