Poll: Blunkett should not resign

Voters do not believe Britain's Home Secretary David Blunkett should be forced to resign over allegations surrounding his affair with publisher Kimberly Quinn, according to an opinion poll tonight.

A Populus poll for The Times found that 60% said the disclosures about his affair with Mrs Quinn had made no real difference to their view of the Home Secretary.

Only 41% thought the most serious allegation – that Mr Blunkett used his position to fast-track a visa for his lover’s nanny – was grounds for resignation, as against 54% who did not.

On the issue of allowing Mrs Quinn the use of an official rail pass and arranging for her to travel in a ministerial car, just 28% thought it was a resigning matter while 67% said it was not.

Only 18% regarded having an affair with a married woman was cause for resignation, compared to 77% who thought it was not, and just 13% thought that he should resign over his legal case seeking access to Mrs Quinn’s son while 82% said he should not.

Overall, the poll suggested that the affair had little impact on the Government’s standing, with support for Labour at 37%, unchanged from last month.

The Conservatives were up two points on 33%, while the Liberal Democrats were down two on 20%.

:: Populous interviewed a random sample of 1,511 voters aged over 18 by telephone between December 3 and 5.