Mr [Gareth Evans], now living in Brussels as head of the International Crisis Group, had persuaded Ms Kernot to join the ALP with the promise of a frontbench position.

According to Nine’s political editor, Laurie Oakes, the affair began when Ms Kernot was leader of the Australian Democrats — before she led the party to the 1996 election — and Mr Evans was foreign minister, and ended in November 1999 after a “long period of recrimination”.

The revelations follow this week’s launch of Ms Kernot’s political memoirs, Speaking for Myself Again. The book gives no hint of an affair, and she says the first approaches for her to consider switching to the ALP were made by Mr Evans and senator John Faulkner.

FORMER Democrats leader Cheryl Kernot and one-time foreign minister Gareth Evans were in the middle of a five-year affair when she defected to the Labor Party in late 1997.

In an explosive revelation, the Nine Network last night published excerpts from an email, allegedly from Mr Evans to Ms Kernot, confirming the relationship.

In the email, Mr Evans admitted lying to parliament about the relationship: “I don’t think I can yet live with the consequences of that revelation.”

Rumours of the affair were raised in the House of Representatives in early 1998 by then Liberal backbencher Don Randall, who questioned whether Ms Kernot’s “affection extended to the member for Holt” (Mr Evans).

Mr Randall later retracted his words, which an angry Mr Evans told parliament on March 23, 1998, were “totally baseless, beneath contempt and a disgraceful abuse of parliamentary privilege”.

“I have experienced nothing like it in my 20 years in this parliament, and I hope that no one else has to experience anything like it ever again.”

Senior Labor figures said yesterday the alleged affair was unknown to the ALP hierarchy at the time of the defection of the then Democrats leader and senator.

And Labor figures claimed last night the leadership would have blocked what was the biggest political defection in decades had they been aware of the affair.

Mr Evans, now living in Brussels as head of the International Crisis Group, had persuaded Ms Kernot to join the ALP with the promise of a frontbench position.

The move saw an immediate jump in voter support for the ALP, but Ms Kernot only narrowly won her seat of Dickson at the subsequent 1998 election. Her four-year period as a member of Kim Beazley’s front bench was punctuated by outbursts against the media and claims that she was receiving insufficient support from her ALP colleagues.

According to Nine’s political editor, Laurie Oakes, the affair began when Ms Kernot was leader of the Australian Democrats — before she led the party to the 1996 election — and Mr Evans was foreign minister, and ended in November 1999 after a “long period of recrimination”.

“Within days, Ms Kernot entered hospital suffering from what she describes in the book as immune-system breakdown as a result of emotional and physical exhaustion,” Oakes said.

Ms Kernot, once thought a potential deputy prime minister, was beaten at the last election, blaming a lack of support from the Labor machine and her harrowing experiences with the media for her loss.

The revelations follow this week’s launch of Ms Kernot’s political memoirs, Speaking for Myself Again. The book gives no hint of an affair, and she says the first approaches for her to consider switching to the ALP were made by Mr Evans and senator John Faulkner.

“I hadn’t previously known Gareth particularly well, but working closely on the Mabo legislation and its successful outcomes had forged a strong friendship between us and mutual intellectual respect,” she wrote.

Last night, the publishing director of HarperCollins, Shona Martyn, remained “totally confident that all relevant information pertaining to Cheryl’s move from the Democrats to the Labor party has been fully and accurately covered in her book”.

But the publisher called off the rest of Ms Kernot’s book tour because of “a potentially dangerous car chase by media representatives”.

Speaking from London last night, Labor leader Simon Crean said: “It is a deeply personal issue and it is up to them to comment.” But if the claims were true, “they require a full explanation from both Gareth and Cheryl”.

Mr Evans, who is also understood to be in London, was unavailable.

More reports — Page 2

`It seems to be okay for a female to have an affair with a younger person but for a male it is taboo. Does this affection extend to the Member for Holt (Gareth Evans), we often wonder. Is she honest?’

Liberal backbencher Don Randall March 12, 1998

`The ugly and untrue words used under cover of privilege by the Member for Swan to directly attack Cheryl Kernot, and by innuendo to pervert the nature of my friendship with her, have had their effect.’

Gareth Evans replies in parliament, March 23, 1998