Blunkett helped 'lover' over passport

David Blunkett helped the woman alleged to be his lover obtain a US passport for her son, it emerged today.

The suggestion that the Home Secretary used his position to help married publisher Kimberly Fortier could put him under political pressure for the first time over their relationship.

Home Office aides confirmed claims in The Times that he telephoned a senior official at the American embassy to ask for the name of someone she could contact to rush through a passport application.

Mr Blunkett then passed the name to Ms Fortier, publisher of the Tory-backing Spectator magazine, with whom he is alleged to have had a secret relationship.

There is no suggestion that Mr Blunkett asked for her to be given special treatment but aides today acknowledged that the US officials may have prioritised her case because of the minister's interest in it.

One aide said: "People come to MPs asking them to make contact with an organisation in the hope of getting action. MPs make enquiries like this all of the time, usually for constituents rather than friends. There is nothing unusual or improper and this is, frankly, a non-story."

The disclosure is a blow to Mr Blunkett, currently on holiday with his three grown-up sons. He had hoped interest in his friendship with Ms Fortier had died down.

The Times said Ms Fortier was believed to have been in a hurry to get the passport application through so she could take her son, who was born in 2002, on holiday. The newspaper said the episode appeared to show the " closeness" between the pair.

It was not clear why Ms Fortier thought she needed Mr Blunkett's help to sort out the passport. American citizens with children born in Britain can get a passport at short notice at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square.

Mr Blunkett's relationship with Ms Fortier, who is pregnant, was revealed in reports early this week.