Blunkett spokesman denies new claims
David Blunkett has denied fresh press claims that he abused his position as a Cabinet minister.
A spokesman for Mr Blunkett insisted that allegations the minister got an official to find out whether his son was affected by an A-level marking fiasco, when serving as education secretary, were not true.
But New Statesman journalist Martin Bright maintains that Mr Blunkett asked an official to make discreet inquiries to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) during the 1998 exam grades crisis.
At the time, a computer problem resulted in widespread concern that some A-level students had been given the wrong grades.
“I have no idea what his motivation was,” Mr Bright told ITV News, in reference to the allegations made against Mr Blunkett.
“But it is the case that officials within that department or that agency found that behaviour shocking.”
“These allegations are not true,” Mr Blunkett’s spokesman said of the journalist’s claims on Friday night.
The latest row over Mr Blunkett’s ministerial conduct have surfaced while he makes an official visit to Canada in his latest role as work and pensions secretary.
Mr Blunkett was re-appointed to the Cabinet following the general election in May, just moths after he was forced to resign as home secretary amid allegations that he fast-tracked a visa for his former lover’s nanny.
