Tory MP Andrew Tyrie today accused Prime Minister Tony Blair of misleading the official inquiry in to the Hinduja passport affair.

At a packed Press conference, the Chichester MP claimed Mr Blair had failed to reveal the true extent of his links with the controversial brothers.

Mr Tyrie said these revelations "tore to shreds" the findings of Sir Anthony Hammond's inquiry in to how the Hindujas - who donated £1 million to the Millennium Dome - gained British passports.

Ministers were cleared of any wrongdoing by the inquiry, but Tory MPs branded it a "whitewash".

Mr Tyrie released three letters from Mr Blair to the Hindujas, which were signed "Yours ever, Tony", along with one from Downing Street Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell.

Two of the letters from Mr Blair were about international relations, while the other was about the promotion of Keith Vaz to a ministerial post.

Mr Vaz faced enormous pressure to resign over the passport affair.

Mr Tyrie said the letters showed Mr Blair was in "extensive and detailed correspondence" on international relations with the Hindujas.

However he admitted they did not contain anything improper.

He also claimed Mr Blair had failed to disclose to the Hammond Inquiry, which was set up by Downing Street, that he and Peter Mandelson had dined with the Hindujas shortly before the 1997 General Election.

Mr Tyrie said: "Tony Blair has made a mockery of the inquiry. He has duped his own investigation, Parliament and the country."

Mr Tyrie denied he was trying to smear the Prime Minister with "sleaze" just 48 hours after a June 7 general Election was called.

Links between Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja and senior members of Mr Blair's Government are well documented.

They led to the resignation of Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson earlier this year, although he was later cleared.