Blunkett reels under outburst

David Blunkett

LONDON - Former British Cabinet minister David Blunkett's hopes of a return to front-line politics were dealt a body blow yesterday when his former mistress, Kimberly Quinn, and her husband Stephen angrily accused him of destroying their family's privacy.

The Quinns' outburst yesterday was prompted by a statement put out by Blunkett, through the Labour Party press office, after the Sun newspaper had reported the result of a DNA test ordered by a family court shortly before the birth of her second child, Lorcan.

It established that he is not the father of the baby, born last month.

"The test was undertaken shortly after the birth. This has established that Mr Blunkett is not the child's father," his spokesman said, saying he was "pleased that this has been clarified".

Kimberly Quinn told the Sunday Telegraph: "The courts have ordered us and Mr Blunkett not to discuss family matters. We are sorry that Mr Blunkett has gone against the judicial system of his own country."

The Quinns were besieged by journalists at their home in Mayfair, where Stephen Quinn issued a statement on behalf of himself and his wife.

"We are angry that Mr Blunkett has again chosen to talk to the press about matters concerning our family," he said. "It is deeply regrettable that Mr Blunkett breached our family's privacy causing further upset and press intrusion in our lives.

"We deplore the public discussion that has begun in respect of our 1-month-old baby son who above all deserves anonymity, protection and a peaceful, happy childhood.

"Mr Blunkett has no right to discuss matters relating to our baby or our family with the press."

For the record, he added: "No further testing is required. Lorcan is our son."

The outburst will add yet more bitterness to the six-month battle over the paternity of Kimberly Quinn's older child, and will cast a dark shadow over Blunkett's prospects of a political comeback.

The outbreak of mutual suspicion is also a setback for Tony Blair, who had been cheered by the news that Blunkett was not Lorcan's father. The Prime Minister did not want his former Home Secretary embroiled in another paternity battle with a general election looming.

Labour's election bosses want to bring Blunkett back on to the campaign trail, so that he can reinforce the message that Labour is tough on crime and terrorism. Blair is said to want him back in the Cabinet when the election is over.

In public, the former Home Secretary refused to counterattack yesterday, saying it would be "unseemly" to engage in a public argument with the couple. Privately, he is convinced that it was someone close to the Quinns who leaked to the Sun the result of the latest DNA test.

The reignited row involves three powerful figures in Britain.

Stephen Quinn, 60, publishes the British edition of Vogue magazine. Kimberly Quinn, 44, is the American-born publisher of the influential weekly the Spectator.

And it now threatens to involve a fourth: British media widely speculated yesterday that the father of the newborn could be an Indian media mogul.

The businessman - who reportedly threatened legal action against any media which named him - was identified by a Blunkett colleague in Parliament as Lorcan's father.

"All I can tell you is he is an Indian," the MP was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying.

Another source at the Spectator told the Sunday Mirror the baby appeared of "mixed-race parentage", and said he could be from an alleged affair between Quinn and "a media figure who is prominent in India".

A family court is already dealing with a dispute over contact with Kimberly Quinn's older child, William, after a DNA test established that Blunkett is the 2-year-old's biological father. A judge decided in January, shortly before Lorcan was born, that he should be tested too.

The results were given to Blunkett and Kimberly Quinn at least two weeks ago. Blunkett is said to be convinced the leak to the Sun was from someone connected to the Quinns through the Spectator magazine. But the statement from the Quinns makes it clear that they think Blunkett is responsible.

A spokesman for Blunkett said: "It was the Sun who broke this story, not David Blunkett. It has never been David's desire to deal with what he still regards as a private matter in the public arena."

Blunkett was forced to quit his post as Home Secretary in December after admitting his office had acted improperly on Kimberly Quinn's behalf over a visa application.

- INDEPENDENT