THE BIG STORY

The sun was about to set on 18 years of Tory rule in Britain.

Prime Minister John Major was busy defending sleaze-hit MPs, including Neil Hamilton, who was embroiled in the 'cash for questions' debacle, involving Harrod's owner Mohammed Al-Fayed and asking questions in Parliament; and Piers Merchant, who was involved in an extra-marital sex scandal.

It was the latest in a long line of scandals involving Tory MPs such as David Mellor, David Ashby, Alan Amos and Tim Yeo, not to mention the strange death of Stephen Milligan, who was found with an orange segment in his mouth.

The Tories were also still suffering from the stigma of former Defence Minister Jonathan Aitken (whose Parliamentary Aide was Stephen Milligan), accused of doing secret deals with leading Saudi princes.

He famously denied all accusations and promised to wield the "sword of truth" in libel proceedings against The Guardian newspaper. He was subsequently convicted of perjury and sent to jail.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Tony Blair was doing his best to reassure electors that a vote for Labour would not mean a return to old Labour ways.

Despite Mr Major's best efforts, the muck stuck and the Tories were voted out on May 1 in one of the worst election defeats since 1832.



Headlines


The Hale Bopp comet came as close as it ever had been to the earth. It was clearly visible with the naked eye even in the centre of Leeds, where light pollution usually prevents such sightings. It was the most widely observed comet of the 20th Century and was visible for a whole 18 months after being discovered in 1995. It passed within 194m miles of Earth (almost as close as the sun is).


Dewsbury Labour MP Ann Taylor hit the headlines after it emerged she had advocated raising the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18.

Leeds resident Romney Hirst, of Belle Isle was left gobsmacked after the council sent him a bill for 1p. A spokeswoman said they were required to issue the council tax bill by law.

A three-bed semi on The Drive, Roundhay would set you back £64,500; a two-bed stone through terraced house on Rose Avenue, Horsforth was on the market for £54,950; and a four-bed through terraced house in Beeston fetched £24,800.

Style queen Vivienne Westwood arrived in Leeds to put her stamp of approval on her new store. The dame of outlandish dress said she believed the city was becoming a centre of fashion .


The World


Fire damaged the Turin Cathedral in Italy – the monument was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and was built during 1491-1498.

A rocket carried the remains of 24 people into orbit for the first space burial – where a sample of the ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space.


The Gossip


Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and actress Patsy Kensit got married in a secret ceremony and didn't even invite any of their friends of family.


On TV's Eastenders, Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson got married.... Then a year later they had their son, Liam – and then Bianca went off to study fashion in Manchester. But she went without poor old RICKAAAAAAAY!