Donald Trump's pick to be labour secretary has withdrawn his nomination after being involved in an immigration scandal.

Andrew Puzder confirmed his withdrawal on Twitter, saying he was honoured to have been considered:

I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I'm honored to have been considered and am grateful to all who have supported me.

— Andy Puzder (@AndyPuzder) February 15, 2017

He has dropped out after allegations emerged he failed to pay taxes for up to five years for a former housekeeper who was not authorised to work in the US.

Some Republicans were among those expressing concern over the allegations.

One Republican source said six senators had asked the White House not to go through with Mr Puzder's confirmation hearing because they would not feel able to vote for him.

The chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc - the parent company of US fast food outlets such as Carl's Jr and Hardee's - has also been under fire for remarks on women and people who work for his restaurants.

The withdrawal was welcomed by politicians who had opposed Mr Puzder's nomination.

Senator Bernie Sanders said: "I'm glad Puzder will withdraw. Given his relationship to his employees he wasn't fit to lead a department responsible for defending workers."

Democratic Representative Keith Ellison, meanwhile, argued: "A business owner who takes home millions while paying employees poverty wages shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Labor Department."

The news will come as another blow to the Trump administration, after national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned earlier this week.

The White House has also been put under pressure after the New York Times claimed last night that several of Mr Trump's aides had repeated contact with Russian intelligence officials before the US election.

President Trump has described the claims as "nonsense" and hit out over the information being leaked to the media.