Mandelson 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 following allegations over his involvement in a "cash for passports" scandal.

Mandelson said on Wednesday he did not accept he had acted "improperly in any way" in respect to an application for naturalisation from one of three brothers now involved in an Indian corruption inquiry.

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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.

He who was forced to resign as the UK's Trade and Industry Secretary in 1998 but was re-instated into government by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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