Father must prove his devotion

David Blunkett has had little option but to move quickly to prove his commitment to two-year-old William.

If he is finally to win his paternity fight the courts will want to see he has shown his devotion at the earliest possible stage.

Family Division judges tend not to favour fathers who wait any significant time before bringing claims to court.

His private DNA test may have made him "100 per cent sure" William is his son, but only if this is confirmed by a courtordered test is he likely to win an order granting him longterm access so despite the damage to his political career lawyers have almost certainly told the Home Secretary he has to move now.

The courts put great emphasis on continuity of contact between parent and child. Had Mr Blunkett not seen William for much longer his legal position would have been considerably weakened.

In his ruling today Mr Justice Ryder rejected Mrs Quinn's plea to adjourn conciliation proceedings before a district judge, which would have delayed the case until next April.

It is perhaps ironic that the Home Secretary should find himself in such a situation at just this time.

In his fight for the right to see William he is following much the same long road as that faced by members of campaign group Fathers for Justice, who have thrown purple powder at the Prime Minister in the House of Commons and chained themselves to the railings outside Buckingham Palace.

Privately Mr Blunkett may well now find himself in sympathy with those campaigners, who are convinced that family courts consistently treat mothers more favourably in custody proceedings.