The MP, his wife and a web of deceit

How Hamilton dismissed cancer risk to children

Edwina Currie, the former health minister, told the cash-for-questions inquiry how Neil Hamilton had been completely unmoved by a set of photographs showing cancers that could be caused to young people by a product he was promoting.

In a letter to Sir Gordon Downey, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, published in the evidence accompanying the report, Mrs Currie recalls a meeting at her office in May 1988 to discuss the possible legalisation of Skoal Bandits, a form of chewing tobacco. The MPs included Neil Hamilton, Michael Brown, Eric Forth and Sir William Clarke, then the chairman of the Tories' backbench finance committee.

Both Mr Brown and Mr Hamilton were criticised in the Downey report published on Thursday for failing to declare payments and hospitality from United States Tobacco, the company that makes Skoal Bandits, and for not advising ministers and officials of their interest when lobbying on behalf of UST.

Since she was keen to promote a permanent ban - which was eventually introduced in late 1989 - she obtained photographs of a form of mouth and throat cancer which was known to be caused by Skoal Bandits. Her letter explains that it is a particularly virulent form of cancer and tends to attack young people, particularly in the cheek. She said it was "easily prevented by not permitting this product to be sold in the UK".

She said "it seemed to me therefore a sensible introduction to the discussion to show all concerned photographs of these cancers" obtained from a local hospital and she handed them out. She writes: "Most of those present were shocked but Mr Hamilton indicated that he did not feel the photographs were relevant."

She said that Mr Hamilton and Mr Brown did most of the talking at the meeting.

Ms Currie adds that she knew most of those attending were paid by tobacco lobbyists: "Sir William [now Lord] Clarke in particular was believed to be very well paid in his capacity as chairman of the backbench Conservative finance committee since it would then be his job to lobby against tax increases on tobacco products."

Another letter, from Ms Currie's former boss in the Department of Health, David Mellor, assisted in scuppering the miscreant MPs by helping to ensure that Sir Gordon was able to conclude that the former MP did not declare his interest when lobbying their ministerial colleagues.

Mr Mellor, a strong opponent of what he calls "this noxious form of tobacco", who would have been prepared to give evidence against Mr Hamilton in The Guardian libel trial over the matter, said that he felt "very badly about" about receiving representations from Mr Hamilton and Mr Brown, who did not declare their interests.

He said: "It goes without saying that at no time did either Hamilton or Brown indicate that they were acting for United States Tobacco pursuant to any commercial agreement or inducement."

He was under the impression that they were pursuing these interests from a civil liberties perspective and adds: "I should certainly not have agreed to see them if I had had any reason to think they were acting as they did for commercial reasons".

Kenneth Clarke, the former chancellor, however, was less helpful to the inquiry. He claims not to have any memory of the events "except I remember the vigour with which Mr Hamilton pursued his campaign".

Mr Clarke did not want to give evidence to the Downey inquiry.