THE British Labour Party has increased the pressure on Mr Neil Hamilton, the Tory MP at the centre of the cash-for-questions affair, to resign today by withdrawing its candidate from that seat. Labour also urged other parties not to contest the seat, proposing instead to field an independent anti-sleaze candidate against Mr Hamilton.
Amid suggestions that the businessman, Mr Richard Branson, could be a potential independent candidate, a Labour Party spokesman said it had decided on this unprecedented move because Mr Hamilton had failed to give convincing answers about his role in the affair.
"Jobs, health, crime and education had been drowned by the fact that all people are concerned about is whether Neil Hamilton is a fit person to be an MP. If Hamilton goes, the election proper can begin," he added.
The chairman of the Liberal Democrats' general election campaign, Lord Holme, immediately offered support, agreeing that the proposal should be considered. "Neil Hamilton should join Tim Smith and go in days, if not hours. If he does not, the great majority of his constituency will turn on him and be looking for the best way of getting rid of him," he added.
Despite Mr Hamilton's insistence that he will not be ousted from the safe Tory seat of Tatton, the first cracks in his Conservative Association's support also appeared yesterday.
Senior party members admitted it would "only take a puff of wind" to force him to go before the crucial April 8th meeting to adopt formally a parliamentary candidate.
However, a Conservative Party spokesman denounced Labour's tactics as a "pathetic gimmick" and pointed out that it did not have a "cat's chance in hell" of winning Tatton.
While Mr Hamilton continues to ponder his future, his colleague, Mr Piers Merchant, spent the day resisting increasing pressure from the Tory hierarchy to resign, following media revelations of an alleged affair with a 17-year-old Soho nightclub hostess.
The Tory Party chairman, Dr Brian Mawhinney, clearly stressed the leadership's annoyance that the election campaign had been overshadowed by Mr Merchant's "embarrassing" behaviour and said he hoped the meeting to decide the MP for Beckenham's future will be held quickly.
"This is a matter for Mr Merchant and his family and the association to discuss and to debate and to resolve. They have access to all of the information. I am sure they will in their own time come to an appropriate decision," he added.
But Beckenham Conservative Association insisted support for Mr Merchant was overwhelming and criticised Dr Mawhinney's comments.
The vice-chairman, Mr Rod Reed, said the MP would face "full and frank" questioning on Tuesday.