Ms Smith – who is not an MP – will get a life peerage in order to re-enter government.
She returns as education minister, a brief she had previously held 25 years ago, under Tony Blair.
She went on to hold several ministerial roles, before rising to be the first female home secretary. She resigned in 2009 due to a series of expenses scandals.
The Standards Commissioner found she breached Commons rules by designating her sister’s London house as her main residence and claiming expenses on her Redditch home.
Ms Smith also admitted to mistakenly claiming expenses for two pornographic films viewed by her husband while she was away.
Media reports revealed she had also claimed a flat-screen TV and scatter cushions on expenses.
She stepped down, blaming family pressures and claiming gender bias in the scrutiny of her expenses.
After losing her seat to Karen Lumley of the Conservative Party in the 2010 election Ms Smith competed on Strictly Come Dancing and co-hosted a political podcast with Conservative broadcaster Iain Dale.
She previously chaired the University Hospitals Birmingham trust and since 2021 has been chair of Barts health trust in London – two of the NHS’s biggest care providers.
