A SOUTHAMPTON MP has called for an inquiry into whether city-based British American Tobacco offered bribes to politicians in Africa.

BAT is denying the claims, saying they were made by "rogue former employees" with a "vendetta", but there is mounting pressure for an investigation to take place.

Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead has said that he supports attempts to see whether the firm, which is one of the city's biggest employers, has a criminal case to answer.

The allegations were uncovered in a BBC Panorama investigation in which the corporation spoke to Paul Hopkins, who used to work for the company in Kenya.

He claimed that he paid bribes to civil servants and politicians in the region, while Panorama alleges that it has seen emails confirming that payments were made to two members of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an initiative intended to reduce deaths from tobacco-related illnesses.

Panorama also says that it has seen documents showing that bribes were paid to undermine anti-smoking legislation.

The head of the FCTC secretariat, WHO's Dr Vera da Costa e Silva (CORR), said: "It is using bribery to profit at the cost of people's lives, simple as that."

There are now calls from industry experts and Cancer Research UK for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to look into whether criminal bribery offences took place while the company could face a separate investigation in the USA.

And Dr Whitehead has also called for the matter to be looked at, saying: "If the claims are substantiated then it is a very grave charge and they should be fully investigated.

"I would just caution that it's important to get the facts straight, and that this would in effect be an investigation of an investigation.

"BAT have claimed they have no truck with bribery, treating and corruption, and the two accounts are diametrically opposed, so it's important to get the substance of those allegations checked.

"Clearly if there is a serious case to answer then it is a very serious case and it should be pursued properly."

A spokesman for BAT said: “We are disappointed that the BBC has broadcast historic allegations from 2012 made by rogue former employees whose employment was terminated in acrimonious circumstances and who have a clear vendetta against us.

"We have instructed a specialist media lawyer to deal with this matter.

“Any company can fall victim to an employee acting inappropriately, but what is most important is how it responds.

"BAT, with over 57,000 employees, is no different and we are rightly proud that any alleged breach of our very high expectations of transparency and honesty is swiftly investigated.

"Any proven transgression results in disciplinary action and may lead to dismissal. We do not tolerate corruption in our business, no matter where it takes place.”

The spokesman added that while an inquiry has not yet been set up by the Serious Fraud Office, BAT would "cooperate fully", adding that the firm was "confident there has been no breach of the UK Bribery Act".

A spokesman for the SFO said: "We are aware of the allegations and cannot comment further at this stage."