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Birmingham by-election on the way?

February 8, 2012 2:58 pm

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There’s an interesting post by Rafael Behr over at the New Statesman today about the possibility of Labour MPs standing down from Parliament to run either as mayoral candidates or police commissioners. According to Behr, much of the interest is around Birmingham:

“Two names often cited as possible candidates for the Birmingham mayoralty are Liam Byrne, shadow work and pensions secretary and MP for the city’s Hodge Hill constituency, and Gisela Stuart, MP for Edgbaston. Of the two, fans of politics as spectator sport would much prefer the latter for the simple and faintly dishonorable reason that the battle to fill Stuart’s seat would be by far the more exciting.”

I’m not so sure about Byrne – he’s arguably more influential leading Labour’s policy review – but Stuart is a likely candidate for Birmingham mayor. Don’t write off other Birmingham MPs throwing their hats into the ring either – and it would be foolish to rule out former MP Sion Simon who stood down in 2010 to focus on the Birmingham mayoral race.

Elsewhere there are other MPs – in all parties – who may decide they can achieve more politically as a commissioner or a mayor. If we hear anything, you’ll be the first to know…

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  • http://nhsvault.blogspot.com Richard Blogger

    I hope it is Bryne, for two reasons. 1) it gets him away from Labour policy and 2) the position of mayor needs a bruiser like him.

  • http://twitter.com/_DaveTalbot David Talbot

    Sion Simon, former MP for Birmingham Erdington, stood down in 2010 in order to fight the Birmingham Mayoral election – so he’ll also be in the mix.

  • Anonymous

    It really does show how much their heart is in their parliamentary jobs that they want to become Mayors or “police commissioners” (God forbid!) – anything to make them feel “important”.

    While I would be delighted to see Byrne leave Westminster – he is frankly an overpromoted lightweight IMO, given his record on expenses would either of these two positions really be appropriate for a job which should demand the calibre of Ceaser’s wife?

    How horrible to see the name Sion Simon again – what a choice a clown or a grinning buffoon – Simon & Byrne.

    I’m just glad I don’t live in Birmingham

    • Anonymous

      Excellent post.  I can’t add anything to this analysis of Byrne.

      In Nottinghamshire, we have Paddy Tipping now wanting to be the Labour candidate to be Police Commissioner.  Why?  Isn’t it about time the likes of him and Prescott shuffled off into retirement?

      • Anonymous

        That is the old MPs and donors home for ex old farts it’s called the house of lords only you do not pay them they pay you.

        • Anonymous

           We had John Mann (the Bassetlaw MP) on our regional slot of the ‘Sunday Politics’ the weekend before last.  He’s a breath of fresh air… he was head-to-head with a Tory MP discussing the merits of Police Commissioners when the interviewer put it to him that he (Mann) opposes them and yet a number of ex- and current Labour politicians are interested in standing.  Mann’s response was a simple, “You’ll always get some people wanting (these) jobs.”  Withering and brilliant.  Sums up some of these people entirely.  Add Tipping to the list that already includes, Hutton, Field, Milburn and Allen…

          • Anonymous

            It is the ladder of fortune and the rats leaving not a sinking ship but one which is holed.

    • Anonymous

      We said it for ages, Career politician looking for the next pay day and Mayors pay a lot more then MPs, ours is on £155,000 with a good  nice solid all expenses car and nice office.

      Byrne would of course have to step down and if you lose do you then get the next safe seat I suspect so

      • Anonymous

        You may well be right, but if I were Ed Miliband, I would make it quite clear to both Ms Stuart and Byrne that if they resign their seats in Parliament, I would accept that as a final resignation in that they were no longer interested in being an M.P. 

        They know so little about the real world. If most of us resigned before we had another job guaranteed we would not have a way back to our old jobs, especially if you wasn’t very good at it to start with

      • SJM

        “Career politician looking for the next pay day and Mayors pay a lot more then MPs, ours is on £155,000 with a good  nice solid all expenses car and nice office.”

        Er, no directly elected Mayor is on £155K – this simply isn’t true.

    • John Ruddy

      I agree, anything to get Liam Byrne out of policy making. The note left at the Treasury and his idiotic support for the welfare reforms are enough.

      Gisela Stuart would be a loss, though.

  • Dave Postles

    I don’t understand what will be the relationship between the Leader of the Council, the leader of the majority party on the council, and the Cabinet and its members with their special responsibilities, with the elected Mayor.   There is also the question of delegated powers in local authorities which are exceptional. 
    Confused.

    • Anonymous

      My council is now run by Plaid  Wales, we have a Mayor who is labour and to be honest they are not working out at all, the Mayor power is way to much and I agree with Plaid asking for a  vote of no confidence, sadly it was lost. It is a problem with Labour losing the council, but still having a Labour mayor. lost the council after 100 years, says everything really

  • Anonymous

    I thought Labour were against the idea of Police Commissioners…  Also, Liam Byrne’s area of Birmingham isn’t exactly praiseworthy at the moment, with many of his constituents on benefits.  Why would he make a good candidate?

    P.S. I think Liam is doing a good job in the Shadow Cabinet, and has slowly become one of the more distinguished and prominent members of that team.

    • Anonymous

       The person with the highest opinio of Liam is… well, Liam.  How many times have we already heard the ConDems bring up his moronic note that he left at the Treasury – and how many more times will they as the election approaches? The man is an idiot.

    • Anonymous

      To each his own, but if you’ll allow me to say so, if that greedy, gurning,  dissembling hypocritical opportunist is ”
      one of the more distinguished and prominent members of that team”, then Labour is in even graver danger than the most pessimistic of us could have imagined

    • Anonymous

      Those on benefits might get better contact and string him up possible

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