Martin Bell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Bell
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Bell at Hexham book festival in 2009
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| Member of Parliament for Tatton |
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| In office 1 May 1997 – 14 May 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Neil Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | George Osborne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 August 1938 Redisham, Suffolk, England |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouses |
Helene Gordoun
(m. 1971; div. 1981)Rebecca Sobel
(m. 1984; div. 1991)Fiona Goddard
(m. 1998, divorced)Merita Zhubi
(m. 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
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| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | War reporter |
Martin Bell, who was awarded the OBE, was born on August 31, 1938. He is a British Ambassador for UNICEF UK, an organization that helps children around the world. He is also known as a former war reporter for the BBC. Later, he became an independent politician and served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Tatton from 1997 to 2001. People sometimes called him "the man in the white suit."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Martin Bell is the son of Adrian Bell, an author and farmer. His father created the very first crossword puzzle for The Times newspaper. Martin's sister, Anthea Bell, was a well-known translator of books. His nephew, Oliver Kamm, is now a writer for The Times and helped Martin when he was an MP.
Martin went to private schools, first at Taverham Hall School and then The Leys School. He studied English at King's College, Cambridge, where he earned a top degree. During his two years of national service in the army, he served in Cyprus.
Reporting for the BBC
Martin Bell started working for the BBC as a reporter in 1962. Three years later, he moved to London and began a long career as a foreign affairs correspondent. His first job abroad was in Ghana.
Over the next 30 years, he reported from 80 different countries. He covered 11 conflicts, including wars in Vietnam, the Middle East, Nigeria, Angola, and Northern Ireland. He became famous for his brave reporting from these dangerous places.
He held important roles at the BBC, such as diplomatic correspondent and chief Washington correspondent. He also worked as a correspondent in Berlin.
Martin won the Royal Television Society's Reporter of the Year award twice, in 1977 and 1993. In 1992, he was given the OBE award. That same year, while reporting on the war in Bosnia, he was seriously injured by shrapnel in Sarajevo.
He later felt that the BBC was changing too much, especially with the introduction of a 24-hour news channel. He thought the news was becoming too focused on entertainment.
Becoming an Independent Politician
On April 7, 1997, Martin Bell decided to leave the BBC. He announced he would run as an independent candidate in the general election. He chose to stand in the Tatton area.
The sitting MP for Tatton, Neil Hamilton, was a Conservative politician facing accusations of wrongdoing. Tatton was usually a very safe seat for the Conservative Party. However, the Labour and Liberal Democrats parties decided not to put forward their own candidates. This was to help Martin Bell win against Neil Hamilton.
On May 1, 1997, Martin Bell was elected as an MP. He won with a large majority of 11,077 votes. This was a big surprise, as he overturned a huge Conservative lead. He became the first independent candidate to win a seat in Parliament since 1951.
His Time in Parliament
When Martin Bell spoke in the House of Commons, he mostly talked about local issues. He also spoke about British policy in the former Yugoslavia and developing countries. He often voted with the Labour government. However, he sometimes voted with the Conservatives on certain issues, like opposing the ban on fox hunting.
Martin Bell said that being an independent politician was a "fortunate position." This meant he did not have to support ideas he disagreed with, unlike politicians who belong to a party.
When he ran for election, Martin had promised to serve for only one term (four years). He said his main goal was to challenge Neil Hamilton. He stuck to his promise, even though he later regretted making it. George Osborne, who later became a very important politician, was chosen as the new Conservative candidate for Tatton.
In 2001, Martin Bell ran as an independent candidate again. This time, he stood against another Conservative MP, Eric Pickles, in the Brentwood and Ongar area. Labour and the Liberal Democrats did not step aside for him this time. Martin came in second place, reducing the Conservative majority.
After this election, Martin Bell announced he was leaving politics. He said that winning one election and losing one was a good record for someone who was not a professional politician. A TV drama called Mr White Goes to Westminster was loosely based on his political journey.
Life After Politics
In August 2001, Martin Bell became a UNICEF UK Ambassador. His job is to help children who are affected by conflicts and natural disasters around the world.
He briefly returned to television news in 2003. He provided analysis for ITN's Channel Five News during the Iraq invasion. He used his experience to comment on the daily video footage.
In 2004, he ran for the European Parliament as an independent candidate. However, he was not successful.
Before the 2005 general election, he joined the Independent Network. This group helped promote other independent candidates.
In 2006, he called for a stop to appointments to the House of Lords. This was during a scandal about giving titles for money.
In 2009, he supported the Green Party during the European Parliament election. He supported their pledge for 'Clean Campaigning' after a scandal about MPs' expenses. He also appeared on the BBC show Question Time to discuss the expenses scandal.
In November 2018, Martin Bell had an accident at Gatwick Airport. He needed major surgery to rebuild his face. He praised the surgeon and the National Health Service (NHS) for their excellent work.
In 2021, the Liberal Democrats asked him to run in a special election. This was after a Conservative MP resigned due to a lobbying scandal. However, Martin declined to stand.
Personal Life
Martin Bell has been married four times. He has two daughters with his first wife, Helene Gordoun. He later married Rebecca Sobel and then Fiona Goddard. In 2020, he married Merita Zhubi.
