'Don't sack Baroness over cleaner'.

A WELSH peer last night leapt to the defence of under-fire Attorney General Baroness Scotland insisting "I trust the woman".

Lib Dem Lord Roberts of Llandudno said the legal officer, who was fined pounds 5,000 for employing an illegal worker as a housekeeper, was one of the most accomplished members of the present Government and should not be sacrificed over what he called a "misdemeanour".

Despite issuing a grovelling apology and receiving backing from Gordon Brown, her job remained in the balance yesterday as opponents branded her "breathtakingly complacent".

One of her own aides quit in protest at her breach of immigration law.

Stephen Hesford, parliamentary private secretary to the Government's legal officers, insisted it was "unprincipled" for the peer to remain in post The UK Border Agency launched a probe after it emerged that a Tongan citizen paid by Lady Scotland to look after her west London home had overstayed her student visa. Chief executive Lin Homer accepted that the peer had not "knowingly" employed an illegal worker "However, the law requires that employers must keep copies of documents proving the right to work in the UK and in this instance the employer failed to meet this requirement," Ms Homer added.