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Baroness Scotland's ex-cleaner signs up Max Clifford
Nicholas Cecil, Deputy Political Editor25 Sep 2009
Labour was today braced for fresh damaging claims against Attorney General Baroness Scotland for employing an allegedly illegal worker as her housekeeper.
Tongan cleaner Loloahi Tapui, 27, was expected to tell her version of events this weekend about how she was taken on by Lady Scotland, who has been fined £5,000 for breaching immigration rules.
This threatens to reignite the controversy and could overshadow the first day of Labour's annual rally in Brighton on Sunday.
If the former housekeeper's story differs from the Attorney General's, it will put fresh pressure on Gordon Brown to sack her. Ms Tapui was arrested yesterday over alleged immigration offences and Lady Scotland today faced more questions over the checks she made before employing her.
Her aides sought to rebuff claims on political gossip websites that she did not see her housekeeper's passport.
The minister insists that she committed just a technical breach, of not photocopying the documents she had seen. But she claims she “did every check that you can possibly imagine”, including seeing Ms Tapui's passport, a letter from the Home Office showing she had the right to remain and work in the UK, a P45 from her last UK employer and national insurance details.
But her woes looked set to deepen after her former housekeeper and the man understood to be her husband, Serbian-born solicitor Alexander Zivancevic, 40, turned to publicity guru Max Clifford for advice. “So far no one has heard their version of events,” Mr Clifford said. Ms Tapui was arrested by UK Border Agency officers in Chiswick. A police spokesman said she was questioned and released on bail until October. Officials also arrested Mr Zivancevic.
Baroness Scotland held on to her job despite the protest resignation of Labour MP Stephen Hesford, her parliamentary private secretary.
She has compared her infringement to not paying the London congestion charge.
The Prime Minister has offered her strong support, stressing that she had acted “in good faith”.
He said: “She has paid the fine and apologised unreservedly. I have told her of my feelings about what has happened, but I have got to ask if someone should lose their job for failure to keep a copy of documentation.”
The UK Border Agency's investigation found that the minister had not knowingly employed an illegal worker.
But the Tories say the probe should be reopened if Ms Tapui produced evidence to challenge the peer's claim to have made thorough checks.
Reader views (2)
EDITED by admin @ 12.42 on September 25 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- Martin, London, 25/09/2009 12:19
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EDITED by admin @ 11.11 on September 25 2009
Breach of community guidelines - court proceedings
- David, soton, 25/09/2009 10:44
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