London, December 12
British Home Secretary David Blunkett has for the first time admitted his relationship with a married woman, revealing how his personal relations were affected by the affair. “I fell in love with someone... and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer, and then the News of the World picked up the story,” Mr Blunkett said in an interview to BBC radio about a news report on his relationship with publisher Kimberley Quinn.
The interview with BBC Radio was made before allegations arose that he fast-tracked a visa for Quinn’s nanny.
The allegations, which he has denied, are being investigated by Sir Alan Budd.
His affair with Quinn ended earlier this year. “I tried for three years to make something work. I haven’t spoken about it and I don’t intend to. Even in the biography that’s being written about me, I’ve ensured that there’s as little as possible,” he said.
The blind minister is taking legal action to gain access to Quinn’s two-year-old son. However, she has denied he is Blunkett’s son.
The Home Secretary described how the relationship affected his friends and personal life, but said he was a great believer in personal responsibility in an apparent reference to his court action.
“I’m a great believer in responsibility and consequences even when they’re painful and I’m sticking to that. Whatever happens to me that’s my fault, my lookout,” he said. —
PTI
