UK minister resigns over passport row


Mandelson has resigned from the Blair government for the second time in three years

LONDON, England -- Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson has announced his resignation from Tony Blair's government following allegations over his involvement in a "cash for passports" scandal.

Mandelson, who was forced to resign as the UK's Trade and Industry Secretary in 1998 but was re-instated into the government by the prime minister, said on Wednesday he did not accept he had acted "improperly in any way" in respect to an application for naturalisation.

Mandelson had earlier admitted that he talked to a Home Office minister in 1998 about a passport application by Srichand Hinduja who, with his brothers Gopichand and Prakash, are in India for questioning over corruption allegations.

	ALSO
• Analysis: A 'massive blow' for Blair • Mandelson's rollercoaster ride

AUDIO

CNN's Robin Oakley: "A massive blow"

263K/47 sec.
AIFF or WAV sound

Tony Blair: "He has paid the penalty"

160K/14 sec.
AIFF or WAV sound

It is the second time Mandelson has resigned from Blair's government - in 1998 he resigned after admitting accepting a loan from a ministerial colleague without disclosing it in public records.

Mandelson was re-instated into the government by the Prime Minister and given the job of securing progress in the Northern Ireland peace process.

CNN.com Europe political editor Robin Oakley said the resignation of such a key ally was a massive blow to Blair.

On Wednesday Mandelson said he did not accept he had acted "improperly in any way" in respect to an application for Hinduja's naturalisation.

But, in an attack on the media, he said he wanted to remove himself from the "countless stories and controversies of feuds and divisions" that have surrounded him.

He was summoned to 10 Downing Street by Blair to "establish the facts" of his involvement with the Hinduja brothers' passport application.

Speaking on the steps of No 10, he told reporters: "I do not accept in any way that I have acted improperly in respect of any application for naturalisation as a British citizen.


Mandelson's resignation came in the wake of widespread media coverage of the passports issue

"I would ask people to understand that my sole desire and motivation throughout was to emphasise that I had not thought to influence the decision on naturalisation in any way at all, merely to pass on a request for information and the prime minister is entirely satisfied with this.

"I confess in reaching my decision that there is another factor. As a reading of today's newspapers shows all too graphically, there must be more to politics than the constant media pressure and exposure that has dogged me for the last five or so years.

"I want to remove myself from the countless stories of controversy, feuds and division and all the rest. I want in other words to lead a more normal life, both in politics and, in the future, outside."

On Tuesday, Mandelson conceded he had made statements on the issue of the passports to reporters which were "plainly not true."

"I do accept however that when my office spoke to a Sunday newspaper at the weekend I should have been clear that it was me personally, not my official, who spoke to the Home Office minister," he said.

Blair's official spokesman, Alastair Campbell said: "One of the problems there has been is actually establishing ourselves all the various aspects of this."

Mandelson resigned as Trade and Industry Secretary in December 1998 after it was revealed he had failed to disclose a home loan of more than �373,000 from fellow Labour MP and Paymaster General Geoffrey Robinson.

But after less than a year he was brought back into front line politics by Blair, a longstanding friend and ally.