Jim Hancock: Strange but true

Jun 16 2008 by Jim Hancock, Liverpool Daily Post

"STRANGE days indeed”, sang John Lennon in the song, Nobody Told Me. These are strange days indeed in the political world. Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis could be the only serious candidate in his own by-election.

He may arrive on a misty morning ready for a duel over 42 days, and find nobody there. The only option may be to shoot himself in the foot.

But we have an equally strange political development on Merseyside. It has understandably re- ceived less publicity, but is cert- ainly worth attention as it has taken place in our most troubled council chamber at the moment, Sefton.

Last Tuesday, lawyers formally warned councillors of the consequences of prolonging a row over the leadership and Cabinet places.

Surely enough excitement for one day for the genteel resort of Southport. But, within hours, Les Byrom, a stalwart of the Tory Party in Sefton and the wider North-West for years, defected to Labour. He wrote to David Cameron accusing his former leader of putting party above national interest in the “42 days” controversy.

I know that, as a veteran political hack, I suffer from excessive scepticism. However, I couldn’t believe that Les Byrom was so exercised about this piece of anti-terrorist legislation that he would sever a 30-year link with his party over it. There must be more to it.

Les Byrom is a former leader of Sefton Council. In the past, he led the Conservative Group on the North West Assembly. A tricky job because his party nationally wanted the body abolished. Byrom recognised this view, but nevertheless felt it necessary to represent the Tory interest, which he did effectively.

He did his party duty by standing in a succession of unpromising Parliamentary contests in Knowsley, and famously in Wirral South. There he was the sacrificial lamb in the face of rampant New Labour twice in 1997.

But, in recent years, fellow Tories on Sefton Council tell me they have become estranged from Cllr Byrom. They claim he was increasingly at odds with group policy. The Tory group recently removed him from the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, and consequently from the chairmanship of the nationwide Local Government Association fire committee.

It looks as if this was the last straw for a proud man. But his move has not been universally welcomed in the Labour Group.

Indeed, I am told some members were apoplectic at the news. I understand his defection was negotiated with the Labour party regionally and nationally. The press release welcoming him contained statements from Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears and local government minister Parmjit Dhanda, but none from Sefton Labour Group leader Peter Dowd.

While Les Byrom’s future in the Labour group is fascinating, Sefton councillors need to concentrate on sorting out a leadership for the hung council as soon as possible.

Sources tell me the Tories may offer an olive branch to the Lib- Dems to restore the three-party coalition that has served Sefton reasonably well for years.