Jacqui Smith used convicts to paint her home

An inquiry has been launched after it was revealed that former home secretary Jacqui Smith used prisoners on day release to paint her home. The convicts who carried out the DIY were supposed to be doing community service of benefit to the wider public.

According to the Sun, two men from Hewell prison were sent out last month to tidy up playing fields and clean out rubbish from streams. But the pair were "secretly diverted" to the £450,000 home of Smith in Redditch, Worcestershire, where they spent two days painting a room.

Smith later made a donation of an undisclosed size to Batchley Support Group, the charity which runs the 'resettlement to work' scheme.

When contacted by The First Post, Batchley Support Group insisted the two prisoners worked a maximum of three hours each on just one day, but refused to disclose whether Smith had paid the market rate for the work.

However, in a statement, the charity said that the day before the work was carried out, "plants donated from Ms Smith were collected by a member of Batchley Support group staff and two prisoners from the resettlement to work program". The plants were to be used in a pond restoration project. 

A prison service spokesman said: "The decision to provide prisoners was taken without consultation with HMP Hewell or the Justice Ministry and was a mistake.

"Offenders should work on projects which help the whole community. The scheme has been suspended while a full internal investigation is undertaken."

Smith was Labour home secretary from 2007 until stepping down in 2009 over the expenses controversy in which it was revealed her husband had claimed for two pornographic films. She lost her seat at the last election and has since presented a documentary on pornography for BBC Radio 5. ·