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HOW THE HAMILTON AFFAIR UNFOLDED By PA News Reporters
Former Tory MP Neil Hamilton today lost his appeal against last year's crushing cash for questions libel defeat. The cash for questions drama has dogged disgraced Hamilton for more than six years.
1994
October 20: The Guardian reveals that Hamilton, then a Department for Trade and Industry minister, had taken thousands of pounds from Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed in return for asking questions in the House of Commons. Junior Northern Ireland minister Tim Smith also took cash from Al Fayed in return for asking questions about his long-running financial battle with rival Tiny Rowland, the paper reports. Smith resigns, saying he received money and did not declare it at the right time. Hamilton receives Downing Street backing to remain in office while he fights to clear his name. Then-Prime Minister John Major reveals he ordered Cabinet Secretary Sir Robin Butler to conduct an internal inquiry into the claims when they were put to him privately three weeks earlier.
October 21: More details emerge of Hamilton and his wife Christine's six-day stay at the Paris Ritz, owned by Al Fayed, where the couple ran up a bill totalling thousands of pounds that was met by the Egyptian.
October 25: John Major announces to the Commons that Hamilton has resigned and sets up an inquiry, headed by Appeal Court judge Lord Nolan, to consider "standards in public life". The former minister's anger at being forced out spills over into his resignation letter, accusing Major of bowing to a "witch-hunt".
1995
June 7: Labour MPs boycott the final session of the powerful Committee on Members' Interests in protest when Hamilton's failure to declare his free stay at the Paris Ritz goes unpunished.
July 21: High Court ruling blocks Hamilton's libel action against The Guardian with Mr Justice May saying the protection of Parliamentary privilege effected too much of the story for the paper to be able to fairly defend itself. However, the former minister, who had been cleared in the meantime by Sir Robin Butler's internal inquiry, continues to deny the allegations and later succeeds in getting the ruling overturned.
1996
February 13: Despite all the controversy, Hamilton is reselected as Conservative MP for Tatton.
September 30: Just hours before his libel action against The Guardian is to be heard, Hamilton drops the action, saying he has run out of money to pay for the legal costs but still maintaining his innocence.
October 15: Fresh allegations in the media trigger a new investigation into Hamilton's affairs by the Standards and Privileges Committee, headed by Sir Gordon Downey.
1997
January: Channel 4's Dispatches programme features Al Fayed talking about his payments to Hamilton which trigger his libel action.
March 17: Publication of Sir Gordon's report is delayed by the dissolution of Parliament when John Major calls the general election.
April 7: Hamilton's chances of re-election suffer a serious blow when BBC correspondent Martin Bell announces he will stand as an "anti-sleaze" candidate in his Tatton constituency, in what some claim is a Lib-Lab pact. His decision triggers a bitter campaign, with the former newsman repeatedly caught in angry confrontations with the sitting MP and his wife Christine.
May 1: Bell becomes the first independent MP elected for 52 years, taking Tatton from Hamilton with an 11,000 majority. Christine Hamilton says the defeat has financially ruined the couple and they launch a media career to raise money.
July 3: Sir Gordon's damning report is finally published, finding "compelling evidence" that Hamilton took cash for questions and recommending that, if he had not lost his seat, Hamilton should have been suspended from the Commons.
1998
January: Against the advice of a number of friends Hamilton launches his doomed libel action against Al Fayed and proceedings get under way.
1999
November 15: The High Court trial begins.
December 21: Hamilton loses the case and faces financial ruin.
2000
March 5: BBC2 shows Justice in Wonderland, the televised version of the Hamilton-Al Fayed events.
November 17: Hamilton announces he is to re-open his court battle with Al Fayed, alleging Al Fayed paid £10,000 for taking documents stolen from a barrister's rubbish bin.
November 19: Hamilton revealed he has got a job in the security business.
December 10: Nine-month investigation into allegations that Al Fayed paid for stolen legal documents to help him win the "cash for questions" libel trial was dropped by detectives.
December 11: Hamilton starts his appeal against his "cash for questions" defeat by Al Fayed.
December 16: Hamilton refuses to reveal how his latest legal bill is being funded.
December 21: A year to the day after Hamilton lost his case, his appeal against his crushing cash for questions libel defeat fails.
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