THE 2 1/2-year battle waged by Mr Neil Hamilton against claims that he took cash in return for asking parliamentary questions ended yesterday in public humiliation for the former Tory MP. An official report judged there was "compelling" evidence against him.
Mr Hamilton lost his House of Commons seat in the May general election to the Independent candidate, Mr Martin Bell, after Labour and the Liberal Democrats had withdrawn from the contest in his constituency. A report by parliament's standards watchdog said Mr Hamilton had secretly taken about Pounds 25,000 from Mr Mohamed Fayed, chairman of the Harrods store in London, in the late 1980s, in return for "lobbying services".
Delivering one of the most damning condemnations of an MP ever made by a Commons official, Sir Gordon Downey, parliament's commissioner for standards, said Mr Hamilton's actions - and his failure to register the interest - had fallen "well below the standards expected of Members of Parliament".
Delivering a 900-page report into allegations against Mr Hamilton and nine other Conservatives, Sir Gordon judged that Mr Hamilton had "persistently and deliberately failed to declare his interests in dealings with ministers and officials" when lobbying on behalf of Mr Fayed.
He accused Mr Hamilton of making statements which were "in varying degrees untruthful". Mr Hamilton's defeat at the last election means it is unclear what action the all-party Commons standards and privileges committee can take against him.
One cloud hanging over Mr Hamilton last night was the statement by Sir Gordon in the text of the report that he had referred details of two cash payments to Mr Hamilton totalling Pounds 10,000 to the Inland Revenue. Sir Gordon states that Mr Hamilton "made no declaration of the two commission payments to the Inland Revenue despite evidence suggesting he was advised to do so by his accountant".
Sir Gordon's judgment will come as an embarrassment to Mr John Major. Mr Major repeatedly claimed during the election campaign in April that Mr Hamilton should not stand down as a parliamentary candidate until proved guilty.
Mr Hamilton said last night: "I contest anything in Sir Gordon's report which condemns me for any act of impropriety or dishonesty - I will be making a full response to it."
Sir Gordon's report went on to condemn four other ex-Conservative MPs for disguising financial activities relating either to Mr Fayed or to Mr Ian Greer, the lobbyist, in the late 1980s. Mr Tim Smith, a former Conservative MP who has admitted receiving cash from Mr Fayed, was accused of "a disingenuous attempt at concealment" in not registering the interests. Mr Michael Brown, another ex-MP, was accused of persistently and deliberately" failing to declare interests in dealing with ministers over an issue relating to an American tobacco company.
Guardian Service adds:
There was surprise among many MPs at the strong and unequivocal language Sir Gordon had used in delivering his verdict on Mr Hamilton. Labour called for the Conservative Party to strip Mr Hamilton and other former MPs caught up in the affair of their party membership.
However, a former minister, echoing the views of many on the Tory right, said: "I think Neil Hamilton was traduced. He is a convenient scapegoat for Downey to show how tough he can be on the disreputable profession of MPs. The media wanted a sacrifice and the media got one."