Either side of a lucid public appearance, he played a significant role in talking some of his colleagues out of strike action.

Two years later, in 2003, he made a rare public appearance.

But this week he will make his first public appearance on the mainland since escaping offshore.

There was a time when it seemed he might never make another public appearance.

Marks were discovered on one suit only minutes before he left for a public appearance, causing momentary panic, according to a source.