A DESPERATE desire to see the child that he and Kimberly Quinn had together has landed David Blunkett in personal and political turmoil, a close friend of the Home Secretary said last night.

His aim is not to win custody of two-year-old William or even to establish that he is the father — he is said to know that already — but to secure the basic right of a father to have access to his son, The Times was told.

He believes that he has to act swiftly because the commitment he shows to his son would be a factor in any legal decision over his right to see the child, the friend said. He believes that a delay would be damaging.

But Mr Blunkett clearly feels that the allegations last weekend surrounding his relationship with Mrs Quinn were an attempt to scare him off his efforts to secure access.

His friends say that before Mr Blunkett and Mrs Quinn broke up last summer he had a loving relationship with his son. He saw him regularly and thinks that it is in William’s interests that he has access to him.

“Surely he has a right to see his son. Until the break-up David and Kimberly were living their lives as if they were a married couple and he was part of David’s life and David of his.

“What all this has been about is that David is trying to maintain the access that he had. It is not about winning custody of the boy.”

In any court case it is likely that Mr Blunkett would have to establish legal paternity of William through DNA testing.

But friends say that a paternity test using samples from Mr Blunkett and William has already been conducted, showing that he was the father.

Mr Blunkett’s position would probably be eased if he held back from his campaign to secure access to William. One minister said yesterday that Mr Blunkett must be on tenterhooks, wondering where the next bombshell would come from. But friends say that there are strong legal reasons for Mr Blunkett acting swiftly. A friend said also that Mr Blunkett was driven by the knowledge that the child was at an age when contact was important.

Pointing to Mr Blunkett’s workload as a Cabinet minister the friend said that it was wrong, as friends of Mrs Quinn have implied, that he wanted to have custody. “He knows that he could not expect that.”

Mrs Quinn was detained overnight in hospital again yesterday as doctors continue to monitor her health and that of her unborn child.

Mrs Quinn, 44, has lost weight, is suffering stomach spasms and high blood pressure. She was rushed to hospital last week.

On Monday afternoon she was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, for a second time suffering from acute stress. Doctors have refused to give a date for her release.

Mrs Quinn’s friends said that it was the Home Secretary’s determination to secure access that has contributed to the collapse in her health. His friends say that his intentions have been misunderstood.

Her husband, Stephen Quinn, appealed yesterday for a truce. He said: “I think it is in the best interests of the child and her that the matter is put aside. I would like to seek an adjournment until such a time as our baby is born and my wife has recovered from that.”

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