Prime Minister Tony Blair ‘s office leaked information relating to an investigation into alleged corruption in the political honors system.

On Monday, the injunction was relaxed to allow the naming of the aides involved. The BBC said the e-mail was sent by senior Blair adviser Ruth Turner to the prime minister‘s chief of staff, Jonathan Powell.

Levy and Turner are among four people arrested in connection with a Metropolitan Police investigation into claims that honors — including seats in the House of Lords and knighthoods — were given in exchange for loans to the Labour or Conservative parties. All four have been questioned but not charged.

Someone in Blair‘s office leaked the document in an effort to create publicity that could undermine any potential effort to prosecute.

The BBC said in a statement that its report was a "legitimate matter of public interest."

"These are proposals which we are looking at," Mr Byrne told ITV1's The Sunday Edition.The Sunday Times reported that documents circulating at the IPS envisage fingerprinting of 11-15 year-olds starting with 295,000 children who apply for passports in 2010 and eventually affecting 495,000 youngsters annually.

Ministers are considering setting up a database of fingerprints of children aged 11 to 15, it was confirmed today.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said that the idea is being considered as part of the preparations for the introduction of biometric passports and ID cards.

From next year, everyone over 16 who applies for a passport will have their fingerprints - along with eye and facial scans - recorded in the National Identity Register.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "This borders on the sinister and it shows the Government is trying to end the presumption of innocence.

"With the fingerprinting of all our children, this Government is clearly determined to enforce major changes in the relationship between the citizen and the state in a way never seen before."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "The Government's determination to build a surveillance state behind the backs of the British people is becoming increasingly sinister.

"It is a measure of ministerial arrogance that plans are being laid to fingerprint children as young as 11 without having a public debate first.

"As millions of British citizens discover that they will have to pay through the nose for the privilege of being included in a range of Government databases, ministers should not be surprised if public resistance becomes ever more vocal."

Phil Booth, national coordinator of the NO2ID campaign against ID cards, said: "The Government has been hiding the full extent of its plans from both Parliament and voters using excuses of 'commercial confidentiality' and 'international obligation' for far too long. Now its secret agenda for lifelong control of personal identity is being exposed.

"Caught in a deception like this, it is not enough for ministers to blame officials, or vice versa - the whole scheme should be dropped immediately.

"The Home Office has deceived the public about the security of its new passport and demonstrated not only its incompetence but a cavalier disregard for the safety of millions of people's personal details. Will John Reid now take personal responsibility for his failing department? Surely heads must roll."