Hamilton Denies Reports of Financial Ruin
Former MP Neil Hamilton has denied reports that he is facing financial ruin after losing his Tatton seat to "anti-corruption" candidate Martin Bell at the general election.
The former trade minister, who is facing allegations that he accepted cash in exchange for asking parliamentary questions, dismissed as "rubbish" an article in the Sunday Telegraph which claims that he may be forced to sell his £300,000 house in order to meet his legal costs.
The article also reports that Mr Hamilton and his wife Christine are extremely bitter over a Tory "backstabbing campaign" which, in their view, contributed to his electoral defeat. Mr Hamilton singled out one of his former constituency workers, Lawrence Hobday, for particular criticism: "I was stabbed in the back by him, and there were others" he said. Mr Hobday refused to back Hamilton and instead lent his support to the Bell campaign.
Mr Hamilton believes that the Downey report, due for publication in six weeks' time will clear him of any blame in the "cash-for-questions" affair. He is threatening legal action against those who have accused him of corruption, including Martin Bell.
Speaking from his home in Cheshire, 48-year-old Mr Hamilton would not be drawn on rumours surrounding his relationship with Conservative Central Office and with party colleagues throughout the campaign. He said that he is considering writing a book on the affair but that it "depends on a number of things. It remains to be seen."
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Martin Bell - looking forward to his new career
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Mr Bell was back at BBC Television Centre today for the Breakfast With Frost programme. He said that he is relishing his new job and that he intends to be "as good a constituency MP as Tatton has ever had". He added that he is an MP with a clear mandate: "I also want to do my bit to clean up politics - and I want that to be the focus early on."
He reaffirmed that he was a non-party member and said that he would vote according to the interests of the people of Tatton and his own conscience.
Mr Bell said he had bought a house in the constituency over the weekend and that he was looking forward to living there. He confirmed that he would stay in parliament for one term only, he said he had no long-term political ambitions.
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