An inquiry into a scandal which led to the resignation of Peter Mandelson has been reopened after the former Northern Ireland minister produced new evidence, the British government said today.
Mr Mandelson, a close ally of Prime Minister Tony Blair, was forced to resign in January 2001 over his alleged role in helping get British passports for foreign donors to London's Millennium Dome.
The inquiry into the affair conducted by a former senior government lawyer, Sir Anthony Hammond, found Mr Mandelson did nothing wrong, but he did not get his government job back.
A spokeswoman for Blair's office said today that the new evidence had originated with Mr Mandelson.
"The inquiry has been reopened because some further papers came to light and the prime minister asked Sir Anthony Hammond to review them and address whether they would have affected the conclusions of the original inquiry," the spokeswoman said.
"We expect Sir Anthony to conclude his review shortly. We expect it to be published."