The £1 billion brothers

Their fortune is estimated at more than £1 billion. They come from India but run their global business from London. They are devout Hindus and expert networkers.

But links with the Hinduja brothers have proved costly to Labour since the party came to power in 1997. The three brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash - have been caught up in allegations of an £800 million corruption scandal involving arms sales in India.

But it is their £1 million donation to the Millennium Dome, coming at around the same time as their bid for British passports, which has done so much harm to the Government's attempts to be free from the sleaze allegations.

In opposition, New Labour was keen to forge links with both big businessmen and senior figures in Britain's ethnic minority communities. Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson dined at the Hindujas' house in Carlton House Terrace in spring 1997 and two of the Hinduja brothers met Tony Blair at Number 10 in June 1998.

Mr Mandelson was in charge of recruiting donors to sponsor sections of the Dome and, after their contribution, Mr Mandelson is accused of intervening on their behalf in their bid for passports. The resulting investigation by Sir Anthony Hammond was inconclusive but led to the minister's downfall.