Noted British Journalist Runs Against Tory Accused of Corruption

Britain’s most famous war correspondent exchanged his flak jacket for a place on the ballot Wednesday as an eleventh-hour crusader against political corruption in a contentious national election campaign.

Martin Bell brought his trademark white suit, rigorous principles, political naivete--and controversy--to what suddenly became the country’s most exciting race for Parliament.

Bell, who is 58 and has covered nearly a dozen wars for the British Broadcasting Corp., will run for Parliament in the May 1 elections from the well-to-do Tatton area of northwest England. Technically, he will be an independent, but he will have the support of both the opposition Labor and Liberal Democratic parties.

A newsman for more than three decades, he suffered his first grilling by reporters on the campaign trail. “I would much rather run [Sarajevo’s] ‘snipers’ alley’ in my armored vehicle . . . than this,” said Bell, who was wounded by shrapnel in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “This is, even for somebody who is accustomed to scary experiences, extreme.”

His opponent from the ruling Conservative Party, former Cabinet minister Neil Hamilton, is accused of taking money to ask questions in Parliament and accepting undeclared hospitality and favors from lobbyists and companies.

Hamilton denies any wrongdoing and has refused to abandon his candidacy despite a shrill campaign against him in the British press. Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader John Major on Wednesday defended Hamilton’s right to remain on the ballot, saying he must be considered innocent until proved guilty.

Earlier this week, Bell had accepted overtures to announce himself as an anti-corruption candidate amid expectations that Hamilton would either withdraw or lose the support of his party’s nominating board in the strongly Conservative district. Tuesday night, though, Conservatives rallied around Hamilton.

On Wednesday, Bell became a politician--an outsider canvassing the streets of the prosperous market town of Knutsford, shaking hands with voters and throwing a metaphorical gauntlet Hamilton’s way.

The Bell-Hamilton contest is certain to keep the issue of corruption at stage center of the election campaign. Major has recently seen a handful of his leading members of Parliament step down in disgrace.

Reacting Wednesday to the news from Tatton, Labor Party leader Tony Blair called Hamilton “a symbol of Tory [Conservative] dishonesty and weak leadership.”

Blair is a heavy favorite to become the next prime minister, although one poll published Wednesday showed Labor’s lead over the Conservatives at 12%, compared with more than 20% in most polls last week.

To accommodate Bell, Labor and the Liberal Democrats intend to formally withdraw their own candidates in the race. This leaves many voters in Tatton, many of them rural or small-business owners, and most dyed-in-the-wool Conservatives, disenchanted.

“We’ve had our choice taken away,” said the Rev. Paul Travis, a Unitarian minister in Knutsford. The voters’ choice effectively is between one candidate tarnished by accusation and under investigation and a stranger who concedes frankly that he knows virtually nothing about politics. In the flux, a third candidate--an independent Conservative--is a could-win possibility, say political commentators.

In the meantime, it’s Hamilton and Bell head-to-head, with Hamilton right at home and way ahead of white knight Bell. “He seems like a nice guy--totally unfitted for politics,” Hamilton said.

But Bell learns quickly. After 35 years as a BBC man--resignation effective Wednesday--Bell completed his first round of campaigning with a media complaint: He said he had spoken to 25 voters in Knutsford who supported him and three who did not. The BBC lunchtime news, though, showed one opponent.

“I never thought I’d be in that situation. It’s unbelievable,” Bell said. “It shows how quickly you cross the line from one side to the other.”