Britain: Mr David Blunkett's hopes for speedy political rehabilitation suffered a setback yesterday when an official inquiry found a "chain of events" linking him to the speeding up of a visa application by his former lover's nanny.
In a blow to Mr Blunkett, a former Treasury adviser, Sir Alan Budd, delivered an effective "open verdict" when asked if Mr Blunkett - who resigned as Home Secretary last Wednesday - had left government, as the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, had asserted, "with his integrity intact."
And the Conservative leader, Mr Michael Howard, last night accused Mr Blair of leading a "grubby government" after a separate report found that Mr Blunkett had breached Commons rules by giving his former lover, Ms Kimberly Quinn, a rail pass meant for use by MPs' spouses.
Sir Alan Budd's three-week inquiry found a "chain of events" linking Mr Blunkett to the speeding up of the visa application for Ms Leoncia Casalme, who was nanny to the child Mr Blunkett believes he fathered during his affair with Ms Quinn.
However, Sir Alan said he was unable to decide between two explanations for Mr Blunkett's involvement in the case and the subsequent intervention by his office which resulted in Ms Casalme's application being processed in just 52 days, 120 faster than the average for similar cases.
The former Treasury adviser explained that this was "not a straightforward matter" because few of those involved could recall the details.
"I believe there are two broad possibilities: Mr Blunkett was seeking special help for Ms Quinn's nanny, or he was raising the case as an example of the poor performance of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) . . . I do not have direct evidence that allows me to choose between the two possibilities."
Sir Alan said he did not believe there was any attempt to destroy, conceal or withhold documents or information relevant to his inquiry. However, central to his inability to decide between the two possible explanations was the absence of the fax originally sent by the Home Office resulting in a response from the IND confirming that Ms Casalme's application had been "sorted" by internal processes involving "no special favours, only what they [ officials] would normally do - but a bit quicker."
The missing fax, referred to by Mr Blunkett's private secretary for immigration in a message to the office of the IND director general, Mr Bill Jeffrey, might have made clear how the IND was asked to handle Ms Casalme's case.
Following publication of his report, Sir Alan told reporters: "I have been unable to link Mr Blunkett to the sending of faxes to IND. There must have been such a link, but I have been unable to discover what its nature was."
That prompted Mr Howard to demand a judge-led inquiry into the visa affair, citing a "gaping hole" in the evidence made available to Sir Alan. He claimed that both yesterday's reports revealed a government "low on integrity, light on honesty and lacking in humility."
Mr Howard said: "There is no doubt that David Blunkett did not tell the truth. He began by saying that visas hadn't been fast-tracked, and it had nothing to do with his office. We now know these things are not true."
And the Liberal Democrats spokesman, Mr Matthew Taylor, declared: "It beggars belief that not a single person including the [ former] home secretary can remember what they did. All his team at the Home Office have had a collective failure of memory."
Mr Blunkett's successor, Mr Charles Clarke, said new rules would be introduced defining how ministers should handle cases drawn to their attention following Sir Alan's report.
That came just hours after yesterday's separate finding by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Sir Philip Mawer, that Mr Blunkett was "in clear breach" of House of Commons rules in giving his former lover a rail warrant worth £197.
In a statement Mr Blunkett said he fully accepted Sir Alan's report, adding: "I wish to make it clear that at all times I have told the truth as I knew it. But I also accept that there are lessons to be learned." And in response to the Mawer report he again apologised for the misuse of the parliamentary voucher, intended for use by MPs' spouses.