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Vaz says he resigned on his own

Shyam Bhatia
India Abroad Correspondent in London

Keith Vaz says he was not pushed out of the government, but decided to resign after spending a weekend in hospital.

The former minister for Europe, the highest-ranking Asian ever to serve in a British government, was replaced by ex-energy minister Peter Hain in Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet reshuffle.

Although his departure had been anticipated for months, Vaz says he wrote to Blair last Sunday, saying he did not wish to be considered for another ministerial appointment because of his poor health.

He was admitted to hospital last Saturday with an infection and discharged three days later.

In his first public comments since resigning, Vaz told the local media in his Leicester constituency: "I wrote to the prime minister on Sunday and told him that I was in hospital because of a virus. I said I was mindful that he was in the middle of his reshuffle and that I didn't want to be considered. I wished him well and wished the government well."

A copy of the prime minister's reply to Vaz was published by Downing Street late on Monday afternoon.

In his letter, Blair said he fully understood Vaz's reasons for standing down and thanked him for his hard work as a minister in the Lord Chancellor's department and in the Foreign Office.

"You have been put under intolerable pressure recently, which can only have aggravated your illness. I hope you now have a chance for a proper rest," Blair replied.

Vaz said he needed a rest and doctors had recommended at least two months completely off work.

"During the election campaign, I did not follow doctors' orders, as a result of which I was ill," he told the media.

Vaz still faces an investigation by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Elizabeth Filkin over alleged links between his wife's firm and the Hinduja brothers. A previous Filkin inquiry cleared him of all but one charge.

When asked about the inquiry, Vaz said: "It will go on. We will answer the questions and co-operate."

Meanwhile, a London newspaper has said that Vaz failed to disclose he was the director of a company funded by an Asian businessman during the House of Commons inquiry into his affairs.

The businessman, Raj Loomba, is alleged to have given "substantial financial donations" to Vaz, although, as The Independent concedes, Commissioner Filkin found no evidence to support this allegation.

Loomba, according to accounts obtained from Companies House in London, is also company secretary of the Singhvi Foundation that has had Vaz on its books as a director since 1998.

The Singhvi Foundation, named after former Indian High Commissioner to London L M Singhvi, is a registered charity that pays for Indian and British politicians and judges to visit each other's countries.

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