David Blunkett was right to resign but has damaged Tony Blair by doing so, according to a YouGov poll of more than 1,900 voters in the wake of his resignation, writes David Smith.

People are generally sympathetic to the former home secretary but are hostile — particularly women — towards Kimberly Quinn, his ex-lover.

The poll shows by more than two to one — 61% to 29% — that Blunkett was right to quit. This is despite the fact that most think, by 43% to 17%, he was a good home secretary. They also think he was right — 75% to 12% — to take legal action to seek access to the son of Quinn he believes he fathered.

Quinn, responsible for blowing the whistle on the fast-tracking of her nanny’s visa application, is seen as “vindictive” by 63% of people, against just 10% who believe she has acted reasonably.

Only 14% sympathise with Quinn, who is heavily pregnant with a second child, while 77% have little or no sympathy. Among women, just 12% sympathise. Blunkett, in contrast, leaves his post with 53% of voters saying they sympathise with him, against 40% who do not.

There is a also backing for his return to the cabinet should Labour win the next election. By 46% to 39%, people say he should come back after the election.

Voters seem to admire his tough image, although only 11% say he did a good job on asylum and immigration and only 17% on violent crime.

The prime minister, who strongly supported Blunkett against the accusations that he had abused his ministerial position, is seen as damaged by the resignation of one of the few “working-class” ministers.

More than two-thirds (68%) say Blair has been damaged, against 25% who think he has not been. But the resignation has not yet damaged Labour’s poll rating. Labour has 35% support, against 32% for the Tories and 23% for the Liberal Democrats. This would give Labour a general election majority of more than 100.

The poll shows that Blair, John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, and Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, are seen by voters overall as doing a bad job. But Gordon Brown, the chancellor, described by the former home secretary as a bully, comes out well. By 52% to 16%, people say that he is doing a good job.

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