Quotes

'I want to lead a more normal life'

Who said what in the 'passport for favours' row

Special report: Peter Mandelson

Special report: New Labour in power

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 January 2001 14.29 GMT

Saturday January 20
Peter Mandelson "To the limited extent I was involved I was always very sensitive to the proprieties. The matter was dealt with by my private secretary. At no time did I support or endorse this application for citizenship."

Sunday Jan 21
Spokesman for Northern Ireland Office "If you ignore the headline of this story and read the facts, Mr Mandelson did not assist in this passport application. He did not support or endorse any application, nor would he have considered doing so."

Spokesman for Srichand Hinduja "In the summer of 1998 Mr Hinduja asked Mr Mandelson informally if an application by him to the Home Office for British nationality would be considered. Mr Mandelson kindly came back to Mr Hinduja and confirmed he was eligible to apply, and that a formal application would be considered by the Home Office in the normal manner. Mr Mandelson had absolutely no further involvement."

Monday January 22
PM's official spokesman "This was an issue raised by the Hindujas and it was passed to the Home Office. When specifically they asked Peter to endorse or support any application he refused, perfectly properly and appropriately. He did exactly what any other minister would do, which is pass it to the relevant department, which is the Home Office. Peter did not get involved - beyond being asked to get involved, which he did not."

Tuesday January 23
PM's official spokesman "Yesterday I repeated that Peter's sole involvement was a call from his private secretary to the Home Office, which was Peter's recollection. Yesterday with offices back up and running, Peter's office was able to look at it in further detail and was able to recollect he had a call with Home Office minister Mike O'Brien in June 1998.

"Mike O'Brien has confirmed Peter Mandelson did not make representations on behalf of the brothers, or make representations on any potential application, and did not support or endorse it. The end result is precisely the same."

Mr Mandelson "There was no passport application, no discussion between me and the Home Office of the merits of giving a passport, no support or endorsement by me of any future passport application. An innocent inquiry was made in a two-minute phone conversation, facilitated by civil servants and monitored by them. That is the beginning and end of this story. The rest is innuendo."

Wednesday January 24
Home Office minister Charles Clarke "As with anything that comes along, it is far and away the best thing to tell the full story as openly as possible at the outset.

"The one think I am certain of is that the Home Office's processes in relation to this have been extremely rigorous and will continue to be."

PM's official spokesman "The prime minister has got to face the House of Commons this afternoon and there are a number of areas of fact he feels the need to pin down."

Mr Mandelson "I am today resigning from the government.

"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 exposure and pressure that has dogged me over the last five or so years.

"I want to lead a more normal life."

Cartoon
Steve Bell on the passport row

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Key links
Hinduja group history
Press briefing
Northern Ireland Office
Hartlepool Mail
Belfast Telegraph

From the Guardian archive: the home loan row
22.12.1998: Mandelson, the minister and the secret £373,000 loan
24.12.1998: Mandelson resigns