Blunkett questions continue

Damaging questions surround the David Blunkett affair today.

The Tories are refusing to let his tearful resignation as Home Secretary mark the end of the "nannygate" row and suggest there had been a cover up.

Critics are focusing on "collective amnesia" at the Home Office. Neither Mr Blunkett nor any of his officials appeared to have any memory of how a letter - concerning a visa application by the nanny of his exlover - found its way into the system.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said it "stretched credulity" that Mr Blunkett, famous for his ability to recollect events and facts, and his most senior civil servants had forgotten key pieces of evidence. He added: "It is possible that Mr Blunkett forgot about this. But it stretches credulity that the Permanent Secretary, his Private Secretary, the head of the Immigration and Nationality Department and all the civil servants involved in this forgot and were unable to recollect what happened.

"Was there an attempted cover-up right at the beginning of this?"

Mr Blunkett was forced to quit when Sir Alan Budd, chosen to lead the inquiry into the allegations, discovered that an email and fax had passed between the Home Secretary's office and the Immigration and Nationality Department.

Mr Blunkett had always denied intervening when he learned that a visa request for his ex-lover Kimberly Quinn's nanny would take up to a year.

He claims he could not remember the email or the fax. He did admit that a memo had been sent to immigration chiefs with the advice that the visa should be fast-tracked. "No favours, but slightly quicker," it read. Mr Davis will be asking the Budd inquiry to check all the emails in connection with the nanny's case to build up a picture of just which officials were involved.

Tony Blair continued to stand by Mr Blunkett. His official spokesman went out of his way to heap praise on his "integrity and dignity", despite admitting the crucial facts had been misleadingly stated.

"David Blunkett was honest about what his recollection was," said the No 10 spokesman. "He was honest in the evidence he gave to Sir Alan Budd. He was honest in admitting there was a gap between his recollection and the actual events and took responsibility for that. He has shown great dignity in very difficult times."

Mr Blunkett's closest friends, meanwhile, revealed he has sunk into despair in the past 24 hours.

One told the Evening Standard: "He is heart-broken by the end of his love affair. He is devastated by the loss of his political career. We are all worried about him." No 10 said Mr Blair made

no attempt to dissuade Mr Blunkett from resigning.

Mr Blunkett spent an hour with the Prime Minister yesterday, having kept the emergence of the email a secret for 24 hours.

Mr Blunkett was driven from the Home Office last night at 7.45 pm. He then went to the London home of Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and sat up late with her and her husband David Mills emotionally talking over his plight.

Mr Blair dropped in on a Downing Street staff Christmas party before working on preparations for a European summit dinner tonight.

The former minister was being hastily airbrushed from the Government today as MPs and ministers there was bewilderment that Mr Blunkett apparently forgot that he put a letter relating to the case in his ministerial red box, thereby triggering her application to be fast-tracked.

At the start of the three-week long furore, Mr Blunkett insisted: "I have done nothing wrong." But in his tearful resignation interviews last night he admitted: "What I hadn't realised is that I had put that letter in my overnight bag and it was acted upon."

At Cabinet this morning, Mr Blair heaped praise on Charles Clarke, saying he would be "a brilliant Home Secretary" and congratulated Cabinet newcomer Ruth Kelly, the 36-year-old rising star who replaces Mr Clarke as Education Secretary.

A former colleague of Mr Blunkett defended his integrity saying he was "shocked" when Sir Alan told him what had happened and "genuinely could not remember".

"These are guys working 14 hours days, every day - and this all happened 20 months ago," said the aide.

"It is not collective amnesia, it is simply a classic cock-up of the sort you get in a giant bureaucracy.

"David was staggered when he was told. He realised very quickly what it meant for his career, but he did nothing wrong and never misled anyone deliberately."

The Government deflected further detailed questions about exactly what happened in the visa case, saying it was now down to Sir Alan to publish his report.

Among the unanswered questions are which officials handled the infamous letter, who wrote an email to immigration staff saying it should be speeded through, and how close they were to Mr Blunkett's desk.

Mr Blunkett realised his position was untenable when confronted with the "killer email" by Sir Alan.

In a series of emotional TV interviews last night, Mr Blunkett blamed Mrs Quinn for mounting a vendetta against him.

He was tearful as he described how the furore was sparked by his decision to fight for access to her son William, who was born during their three-year affair.