ILR after 5 years but with employment gap

[Phoebe]

Hi All,

Please help! I had the old work permit in August 2008 but was made redundant in January 2012. I got a job before my redundancy day but unfortunately couldnt start my new job because my new company didnt had a COS which I had to wait 6 months for. Now my question is, can I apply for ILR under 5 years employment route even though I was unemployed for 6 months. My visa was not curtailed at this point as I informed the HO of my situation and was told to update them as soon as the COS was received which I did. I'm now on a Tier 2 visa.
Also, I didnt get a P60 from my old employers as I left in January 2012, now I need this to unable me put my application in. My old employers are saying they cant issue me one as it is illegal. Please can someone tell me how best to get a replacement P60. I already have my employment history from the HMRC but this will expose my months of unemployment so I'm trying to avoid using this. Thanks!