Baroness Scotland to fight illegal staff inquiry

Baroness Scotland of Asthal, the Attorney General, will come out fighting to clear her name today over employing an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper.

The UK Border Agency, which reports the findings of its investigation into the affair to the Home Office today, is understood to have uncovered evidence that a passport was doctored.

Lady Scotland is fighting to save her job after the revelation that she employed a Tongan cleaner who had overstayed her student visa by five years. She sacked Loloahi Tapui last week, before her status became public, and asked the agency to look into the matter.

If the Attorney General did not carry out sufficient checks, she could face a £10,000 fine under the 2006 Asylum Immigration and Nationality Act, which she helped to push through parliament. She will say today that in January she was shown documents which stated that Ms Tapui was entitled to remain and work in Britain.

The agency, whose officials raided Ms Tapui's west London flat on Saturday, is believed to have found discrepancies over at least one of these documents. Lady Scotland's office declined to comment last night.