Politics: Festive cheer for Hamilton

After a year with little to celebrate, Neil Hamilton has received some cheering Christmas news - he has finally managed to beat Martin Bell at the polls. The disgraced former trade minister came third in an award for the male politician of the year, and Mr Bell came fourth.

A poll of 800 customers at Politico's bookshop in London, many of them MPs, placed him beneath only Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for the man of the year title. The Prime Minister came top, and the chancellor second. Michael Portillo was fifth while William Hague managed only ninth place with 4 per cent of the vote. There was good news, too, for Mr Hamilton's wife Christine; she swept the board in the "Parliamentary secretary of the year" category, with hundreds of nominations. Last night Mr Hamilton said he was delighted. "I can only put it down to the news coverage which The Independent gave to me," he said. Harriet Harman was ranked "Worst Labour minister," with 51 per cent of the vote, while Peter Mandelson came second.