Smith asked to explain expenses

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said she will "answer any questions" Parliament's sleaze watchdog has about £116,000 in "second home" expenses. Ms Smith named her sister's London home as her main residence and her family home in Redditch as her "second home". She insists she has done nothing wrong and that she followed the rules. But Standards Commissioner John Lyon has asked her to explain claims by her London neighbours she spends as little as two nights a week at that address. Mr Lyon has previously turned down two requests to investigate Ms Smith over her decision to designate her sister's house - where she stays when she is in London - as her main home. The decision has enabled her to claim at least £116,000 in second home allowances on her constituency home in Redditch, Worcestershire, since becoming an MP. Mr Cameron told BBC 5 Live: "I think that what we need to know is what is her main home." Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who campaigns for greater parliamentary accountability, welcomed Mr Lyon's decision to look into Ms Smith's allowances.