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Martin Bell: New MP for Tatton
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The "Accidental MP"
Martin Bell, the former BBC war correspondent and now Britain's only Independent MP, has formally 'sworn in' at the House of Commons. The journalist declared himself "the accidental MP" after he read out his oath of allegiance to the queen.
Mr Bell, who never expected to win the seat, was elected as MP for Tatton after beating the former Trade Minister Neil Hamilton, the Conservative at the centre of the 'cash for questions' affair.
The former BBC correspondent stood on an anti-corruption ticket as the main opposition candidate, in place of both Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates, after Mr Hamilton refused to withdraw over "sleaze" allegations that he took illicit payments from Harrods boss, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
After his victory Mr Bell said that he had been surprised by the size of his 11,000 majority, "I thought it would be wafer-thin. It was a political miracle, I really can't account for it. There was a depth of feeling against Mr Hamilton right across the constituency. It was strongest amongst Conservatives."
A bitter Neil Hamilton accused Martin Bell of running a dishonest and corrupt campaign but the former BBC correspondent said that he had conducted the campaign "honourably".
The first to congratulate the former war correspondent after he was sworn in was the Conservative MP for Leominster, Peter Temple Morris. He and Nigel Jones, the Liberal Democrat member for Cheltenham both spoke to Mr Bell shortly after he had taken the oath of allegiance.
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