Labour was thrown into fresh embarrassment over MPs and their expenses yesterday when the husband of the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, was forced to apologise for trying to claim back the cost of the family's television package, which included rental of two pornographic movies.

Richard Timney, who is employed by the home secretary in her constituency office, submitted a claim for a £67 Virgin Media bill last June for a television in the couple's family home in Redditch, Smith's constituency. The bill included two adult films, at a cost of £5 each, as well as two viewings of the heist movie Ocean's 13 and one of Surf's Up, a children's film about a rockhopper penguin.

Smith, who was already in the spotlight over expenses, was understood to be furious with her husband. Last month she was revealed to have claimed taxpayer-funded allowances for her family home while living with her sister in London. Smith designated her sister's house as her "main" residence, allowing her to claim payments on the Redditch constituency home she shares with her husband and children. Smith is due to explain that to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, John Lyon.

The new row brought an immediate climbdown from the Smiths. Within hours of the story being published in a Sunday newspaper, Timney appeared outside the family home to give a brief statement.

Barely looking up, he said he had submitted the claim for the television package "inadvertently" alongside a legitimate claim for his wife's internet connection. Timney said: "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."

Smith, who employs her husband on a salary of £40,000 a year to run her office, was said to be "mortified" after she was forced to apologise for the claim. A close friend of Smith's said Timney would be "sleeping on the sofa for a while. To say she's angry with her husband is an understatement".

Although parliamentary rules on expenses allow MPs to claim the cost of their television package alongside their internet connection, the friend said Smith planned to repay the entire amount. The committee on standards in public life has announced it will look at the system of expense claims by MPs, but it is unlikely to report until after the general election.

There are rumours in Whitehall about how details of the Smiths' television bill emerged. It follows a run of recent expenses scandals involving Labour MPs, suggesting that stories are being leaked from the parliamentary office for expenses claims.

Apologising for the wrongful claim, Smith said: "I am sorry that, in claiming for my internet connection, I mistakenly claimed for a television package alongside it. As soon as the matter was brought to my attention, I took immediate steps to contact the relevant parliamentary authorities and rectify the situation. All money claimed for the television package will be paid back in full."

Opposition MPs cast doubt on Smith's ability to continue as home secretary. Former shadow home secretary David Davis said: "My first response was, under what category would this expense claim be?" He added: "I don't call for people to go unless I think there is absolutely a smoking gun, but I do think on this circumstance the sympathy for her will be even less than it otherwise would have been because she is not that good at her job."

No 10 said Smith had done the "right thing" by acting to rectify the "inadvertent mistake". A spokesman said: "She is doing a great job as home secretary and will not let this issue detract from her determination to ensure we protect the public and make our neighbourhoods safer."