Straw named as man who brought down Mandelson

Jack Straw has been being named as the man who triggered Peter Mandelson's downfall by informing Tony Blair of a discrepancy in the former Northern Ireland Secretary's account of events.

Mr Mandelson admitted on Sunday that he had discussed his involvement with Indian tycoon Srichand Hinduja's passport application with the Home Secretary before the story went public a week ago.

But he said he "failed to attach importance" to Mr Straw's reference to a phone call he had made to Immigration Minister Mike O'Brien. It was his insistence later that he did not know about that phone call which led to his resignation.

Press reports suggest that Mr Straw spoke to the Prime Minister as soon as he became aware that Mr Mandelson was denying having made the phone call. This set in train the events which led to Mr Mandelson's resignation on Wednesday.

In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Straw said that Mr Mandelson's downfall had been "inevitable" because he had told an "untruth" and departed from the standards expected by Parliament and the public.

The Home Office has refused to confirm that Mr Straw had called Mr Blair, saying only: "We must await the outcome of the inquiry being carried out by Sir Anthony Hammond."

Former Treasury solicitor Sir Anthony is conducting the inquiry ordered by Mr Blair into the Hinduja passport application.

Among the first people he may interview is Mr Mandelson, who said on Sunday that he had contacted Sir Anthony and asked to give evidence in the hope of explaining his actions in the affair.

The revelation that Mr O'Brien had a note of a 1998 phone conversation with Mr Mandelson about Mr Hinduja's passport was fatal to the Hartlepool MP because he had told Mr Blair's official spokesman Alastair Campbell that he had no recollection of such a call.

When it emerged that Mr O'Brien remembered the call, the Government's story had to be changed - to Mr Campbell's great embarrassment - as it rendered incorrect comments he had made to journalists and a statement made to the Commons by Culture Secretary Chris Smith.