Northern Ireland secretary Peter Mandelson is facing an unwelcome diversion from his ministerial duties as it emerges that his private office approached the Home Office to "oil the wheels" of a British citizenship application by one of the dome's financial backers. Srichand Hinduja, who is facing corruption charges in India, had reportedly already had one application for citizenship rejected.

It has been confirmed that Peter Mandelson, at that time dome minister, instructed his private office to find out if the Home Office would be "sympathetic" to a second application. Hinduja provided £1 million in backing for the Faith Zone in the millennium dome. It is reported that Keith Vaz also intervened on behalf of Hinduja.