Blair babe told aide to 'dig dirt on rival'

A Labour MP asked her gay Westminster research assistant to "dig up dirt" on her Tory opponent's sexuality as part of a smear campaign, it was alleged at a tribunal today.

Candy Atherton, a so-called "Blair babe" who ousted Sebastian Coe to win the Falmouth and Camborne seat in 1997, asked her "openly gay" assistant to look for anything salacious in the lifestyle of her prospective Conservative opponent, it was claimed.

Paul Phillips said he found it "offen-sive" for sexual orientation to be used to their detriment, the tribunal heard. Mr Phillips, 36, resigned from his post at the House of Commons and is claiming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

During a pre-hearing review at a Croydon employment tribunal, Mr Phillips said: "To ask someone to dig dirt on anybody is not a pleasant activity. To be asked to do so to this candidate because he was believed to be gay ... I find that offensive."

He added: "I never felt personally discriminated against, but nevertheless, if you are working in an environment where you feel a person's sexual orientation can be used as a tool to do damage, it does affect your working environment."

Sheila Johns, representing Ms Atherton, denies that Mr Phillips was asked to make inquiries about the prospective parliamentary candidate's sexual orientation and lifestyle.

He was asked to make inquiries about him but only on the grounds that he was a potential opponent they knew

very little about, she said. "They [Mr Phillips and the Conservative] lived close to each other in London and so he was asked if he knew anything of him.

"He was not asked as a gay man. He was asked as everybody in the office was asked. He said he was not comfortable making the enquiries and that was that."

She added: "He was not asked because of his sexual orientation and he was not asked to look into sexual orientation."

A full hearing is due to take place next year.