LONDON, Dec 15 (AFP) - British Home Secretary David Blunkett, one of Prime Minister Tony Blair's closest allies, resigned on Wednesday after admitting his office had fast-tracked a visa application for his ex-lover's Filipina nanny.
In an emotional statement, the interior minister, blind from birth, insisted he had not been told that officials were writing to the immigration department over the case of nanny Leoncia Casalme.
"However, whether or not I asked for any action to be taken is irrelevant to the inference that can be drawn," Blunkett said, announcing he had left one of the top jobs in Blair's government with immediate effect.
Downing Street announced late Wednesday that Education Minister Charles Clarke had been appointed to replace Blunkett at the head of the Home Office.
The resignation robs Blair of one of his key lieutenants only months before a general election expected in May next year, and bookmakers immediately increased the predicted odds of him winning a third term in office.
Blunkett had proved "a force for good in British politics", Blair said in statement accepting the resignation.
"You leave government with your integrity intact and your achievements acknowledged by all," the prime minister said.
Blunkett, whose remit included immigration, policing and anti-terrorism, among other areas, was one of the government's most respected ministers, especially among Britain's powerful right-wing tabloid press.
However, tough policies such as locking up foreign terrorism suspects without trial prompted fierce criticism from human rights groups.
Blunkett announced last week he had set up an inquiry to probe newspaper claims that he had intervened improperly to help get a British visa for Casalme, who worked at the time for his then lover, married magazine publisher Kimberly Quinn.
The allegations reportedly originated with Quinn, from whom Blunkett had separated in August amid acrimony.
Blunkett always denied he had intervened to speed up the application for a British visa, but conceded in his statement that the inquiry had uncovered evidence that his officials did so instead.
He said he had been told about "a fax and an exchange of e-mails" between his office and Britain's Immigration and Nationality Directorate about delays to Casalme's case.
"Given I have no recollection of issuing instructions to deal with the application, but only to continuing the elimination of the backlog in general, the easy thing would be to hide behind my officials," Blunkett said.
"I will not do such a thing. In no way is my office or any individual within the department to blame for what happened."
Born into poverty in 1947 in Sheffield, an industrial city in northern England, Blunkett was blind from birth due to a genetic disorder and fought against terrible odds to go to university and then into politics.
However his image has been severely dented in recent weeks, both by the nanny allegations and by lurid newspaper revelations about his three-year relationship with Quinn.
Blunkett, who is divorced, is currently fighting an acrimonious legal battle to establish his paternity over Quinn's two-year-old son.
He is also reportedly seeking to claim paternity for the unborn child Quinn, who is seven months pregnant, is carrying.
His support among government colleagues was also hit by the unfortunately-timed publication of a biography in which he was quoted ladling out tough criticism to a series of fellow ministers.
In an emotional post-resignation interview, Blunkett, who has three adults sons from his earlier marriage, admitted he had to an extent brought events upon himself by battling for paternity rights.
"If I was ever going to see my youngest son again, if I was ever going to hold him as I did as a baby in my arms, there were going to be consequences," he told Sky New television, adding that he had no regrets.
"But in time, people will understand what I have been through, what I am prepared to go through, what I was prepared to sacrifice along with my three elder sons for that little boy."
12/15/2004 20:20 GMT - AFP