2 Why does the code matter? Whitehall officials insist that it is not a formal rulebook, but Tony Blair writes in the foreword that he expects “all ministers to work within the letter and spirit of the code”.

It combines a code of ethics and a guide to procedure and conduct.

On leaving office, former ministers should consult the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any paid posts they want to take up within the following two years. The committee normally requires a three-month waiting period for former Cabinet ministers.

3 What has Mr Blunkett done wrong? He failed to consult the committee about three separate paid posts, advising Indepen and the World Organisation for Research and Technology (ORT), and becoming a non-executive director of DNA Bioscience.

He compounded the error since he had specifically asked whether an educational charity (as ORT is) came within the committee’s remit.

He was told it did, but, by then, he had already taken up a post with ORT without seeking the committee’s advice. Moreover, he took up the first two posts in less than the three-month waiting period.

4 What is Mr Blunkett’s explanation? His office has said that he misunderstood the rules, after a reference to the advice being “voluntary” in a letter from Lord Mayhew of Twysden, the committee’s chairman.

Mr Blunkett says he confused the rules with the Register of Members’ Interests, under which MPs have to declare paid posts and income, as he did with these posts.

5 How does his version stand up? His claim over the weekend about being confused is contradicted by the disclosure in The Times yesterday of letters from Lord Mayhew saying ex-ministers should consult the committee. So Mr Blunkett had been told what he ought to do, and ignored the advice. The code applying to ministers is separate from the parliamentary rules on declaration of interests applying to all MPs.

6 Why did Mr Blunkett decide to sell shares in DNA Bioscience held in trust for his sons? He complied with the code over these shares and the company does not have any contracts with his department. But even if rules have not been broken, the appearance has been given of seeking to make a gain for his family on the basis of a few weeks’ involvement with a company that wanted to benefit from being linked with his name.

7 Can Mr Blunkett be punished? Not directly. Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act in the light of the code and justifying their conduct to MPs. It is for ex-ministers to decide whether to accept the advisory committee’s views. But the latter can “name and shame” by making its advice public and say whether a former minister consulted it.

8 What has been Tony Blair’s reaction? The Prime Minister decides whether a minister should be punished for breaches of the code. He has, so far, backed Mr Blunkett. His spokesman said that Mr Blunkett had admitted a mistake and the Prime Minister believed it did not interfere with his ministerial role. He does not want to lose Mr Blunkett only six months after bringing him back and before key decisions on welfare reform.

9 Is that the end of the affair? It depends on whether substantial new charges are now made and on the view at Westminster. The key question is political: whether Mr Blunkett has become a liability to the Government, as is now increasingly the view among Labour MPs.

HOW THE DRAMA UNFOLDED

• December 15, 2004 David Blunkett resigns as Home Secretary
  
  
• December 21, 2004 Lord Mayhew of Twysden writes to Mr Blunkett, advising him: “Ministers should seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments they wish to take up within two years”
  
  
• January 2005 Joins Indepen Consulting as an adviser, earning up to £10,000 a year
  
  
• March 2 Lord Mayhew writes again to Mr Blunkett after news of his appointment to Indepen is revealed in the press, reminding him: “We would normally expect a former Cabinet minister to wait at least three months before taking up an outside appointment”
  
  
• March 3 Mr Blunkett replies to Lord Mayhew, apologising for not informing him about the Indepen appointment. The same day, he registers work for ORT (Organisation for Research and Technology)
  
  
• March 15, 2005 Lord Mayhew writes to Mr Blunkett, informing him that an apology was unnecessary
  
  
• April 21 The MP is appointed a director by DNA Bioscience and buys a £15,000 share
  
  
• May 6 Mr Blunkett returns to the Cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary. He resigns the directorship and places the shares in trust for his sons
  
  
• September 24 Mr Blunkett’s relationship with Sally Anderson, 29, is revealed
  
  
• October 8 Mr Blunkett admits failing to register his honorary membership of the Annabel’s nightclub
  
  
• October 12 The Cabinet minister admits an “honest mistake” in using Commons paper to object to a housing development next to a home he rents out in South London
  
  
• October 23 News emerges of Mr Blunkett’s shares in the firm, worth an estimated £300,000 if the company floats
  
  
• October 30, 2005 It is revealed that he did not consult the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments

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