Brown refuses to back Baroness Scotland in UK immigration scandal
September 22 2009 by Mark Johnstone
What's Brown's view of Baroness Scotland?
British prime minister Gordon Brown has failed to fully back Baroness Scotland after her alleged involvement in a UK visa breach.
The attorney general is at the centre of a UK immigration scandal that also also involves her former housekeeper Tongan national Loloahi Tapui-Zivancevic.
Though Scotland was not aware Tapui did not have the right to work in the UK, she was still in "technical breach" of UK visa rules.
Baroness Scotland now faces a prison sentence or fine of up to £10,000.
The attorney general has not yet been asked to resign, Government sources told the BBC. But Prime Minister Gordon Brown did not confirm if she would keep her job during an interview on British television.
He said he would study the UK Border Agency report into her case, which he expects to receive today (September 22).
He said: "I will have to see the report, I will have to look at it, I will have to see what they actually say. The question is whether she knowingly did not look at the passport or the documents of the person that she was employing or whether she did do that but she did not keep a copy of the documents."
"We will have to find out what has actually happened and I will have to wait for that report this morning and she will want to answer the questions that are put to her. We will have to make decisions."
BBC sources said Tapui had moved to the UK on a visa and overstayed for five years. The question remains whether Baroness Scotland knew this and carried out enough checks.
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