Liam Byrne

Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004. A member of the Labour Party, Byrne is the Labour candidate seeking to defeat incumbent Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, in the 2021 mayoral election.

For other people with the same name, see Liam Byrne.

The Right Honourable Liam Byrne MP
Byrne in 2017
Shadow Minister for Digital
In office 18 July 2017 – 9 April 2020
Leader	Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Louise Haigh
Succeeded by	Chi Onwurah
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 20 January 2011 – 7 October 2013
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Douglas Alexander
Succeeded by	Rachel Reeves
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office 8 October 2010 – 20 January 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Tessa Jowell
Succeeded by	Tessa Jowell
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Philip Hammond
Succeeded by	Angela Eagle
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Yvette Cooper
Succeeded by	David Laws
Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ed Miliband
Succeeded by	Tessa Jowell
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ed Miliband
Succeeded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Minister for the West Midlands
In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ian Austin
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration
In office 22 May 2006 – 3 October 2008
Prime Minister	Tony Blair Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Tony McNulty (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality)
Succeeded by	Phil Woolas
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 July 2004
Preceded by	Terry Davis
Majority	28,655 (63.7%)
Personal details
Born	Liam Dominic Byrne (1970-10-02) 2 October 1970 Warrington, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Sarah Byrne
Alma mater	University of Manchester Harvard University
Website	Official website parliament..liam-byrne

He served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Gordon Brown's Government, and famously left a note for his Liberal Democrat successor David Laws which read "I'm afraid there is no money".[1][2][3]

Early life

Byrne was born in Warrington, and was educated at Burnt Mill School in Harlow. He completed his A levels at The Hertfordshire and Essex High School in Bishop's Stortford. He then went on to study at the University of Manchester, where he obtained a first-class honours degree in Politics and Modern History, and was elected Communications Officer of the University of Manchester Students' Union. He also holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School at Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

Before being elected to Parliament, he worked for Accenture and N M Rothschild & Sons, before co-founding a venture-backed technology company, e-Government Solutions Group, in 2000. In 1996/7, he advised the Labour Party on the re-organisation of its Millbank headquarters, and helped lead Labour's business campaign under the 'New Labour' marque.

Parliamentary career

Early career

He was selected to contest the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election following the resignation of the veteran Labour MP Terry Davis to become the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. On 15 July 2004, the same day as Labour lost Leicester South in another by-election, Byrne squeaked home with a majority of just 460, possibly helped by distasteful tactics. The campaign drew criticism for its dirty tactics, particularly a Labour leaflet proclaiming "Labour is on your side – the Lib Dems are on the side of failed asylum seekers".[4]

He made his maiden speech on 22 July 2004.[5]

2005 to 2010

Byrnes at the 2006 Labour Party Conference

Following his re-election with an increased majority on 5 May 2005, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, an unusually fast promotion to ministerial rank. He was re-elected at the May 2010 general election.[6]

Byrne has been a vocal campaigner for road safety; in 2005, he handed a petition in to Parliament demanding tougher punishments for dangerous drivers. He sat on the parliamentary committee that shaped the Road Safety Act 2006, which increased fixed penalty fines for driving while using a mobile. In November 2007, he was fined £100 and received three points on his driving licence for using his mobile phone while driving.[7]

Following the 2006 local elections he was promoted to Minister of State for policing, security and community safety at the Home Office, replacing Hazel Blears, one of the highest-profile roles in the government outside the cabinet. However, just a fortnight later Home Secretary John Reid moved him to the immigration role, switching portfolios with Tony McNulty. McNulty had been connected with the foreign prisoners scandal that caused Tony Blair to sack Charles Clarke in May 2006. Byrne's move was seen as an attempt by Reid to establish an entirely new team to sort out the immigration system. During this period he was also Minister for the West Midlands. Byrne was promoted in a cabinet reshuffle on 3 October 2008, becoming Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.[8]

Immigration: taxi driver controversy

In November 2006, Byrne was responsible for a change to Immigration Rules preventing migrants who had entered under Britain's Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) having their permission to remain in Britain extended, unless they could show both that they had been earning at least £32,000 pa while in Britain and also that they had a good knowledge of English. This change was controversial because it applied retrospectively to immigrants who had entered Britain under the old rules, meaning the British Government had "moved the goalposts"–a degree became effectively an essential requirement, regardless of the skills or economic contribution that an individual could demonstrate.[9][10] In their report into the changes, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights said that "The changes to the Rules are so clearly incompatible with Article 8, and so contrary to basic notions of fairness, that the case for immediately revisiting the changes to the Rules in Parliament is in our view overwhelming."[11] Appeal cases have been won on appeal on the grounds that applicants had a legitimate expectation that the rules would not change to their detriment.[12] A judicial review has been successfully brought against the government, with their actions when applying the new HSMP rules to those HSMP holders already in Britain as at 7 November 2006 being ruled as unlawful.[13]

Byrne is in favour of legislation for a Migration Act, similar to the 1958 immigration law in Australia which is administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

"British Day"

In June 2008, Byrne suggested the "August bank holiday" to be made a weekend of national celebration (the so-called "British Day") in a speech to a New Labour think tank. However, Scotland's August bank holiday is held on a different date from that in Wales and England. He later retracted this - after pressure from the Scottish National Party - saying he was merely trying to "get the debate started".[14]

Since this suggestion, the concept of a British national holiday was raised again by the coalition government, with the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties suggesting the May Day bank holiday may be moved to October and renamed "UK Day" or associated with the existing Trafalgar Day.

Leaked staffing requirements memo

In November 2008, an 11-page memo written by Byrne entitled "Working With Liam Byrne" was leaked to the press. In the memo, Byrne listed his demands from his staff, memorably including his requirement for a cappuccino on his arrival in the office, soup between 12:30 pm and 1 pm and an espresso at 3 pm. Byrne also instructed officials to tell him "not what you think I should know, but you expect I will get asked." He warns staff that they should "Never put anything to me unless you understand it and can explain it to me in 60 seconds... If I see things that are not of acceptable quality, I will blame you."[15] The Guardian described Byrne as an "eager diva".[15]

Departure from the Treasury

On leaving his position as Chief Secretary to the Treasury following the change of British government in May 2010, Byrne left a note to his successor David Laws saying "Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid there is no money. Kind regards – and good luck! Liam."[16] Byrne later claimed that it was just typical humour between politicians, but regretted it since the new government used it to justify the wave of cuts that were introduced.[17][18] The note echoed Chancellor Reginald Maudling's note to James Callaghan: "Good luck, old cock ... Sorry to leave it in such a mess." after the Conservatives' defeat at the 1964 election.[1][19]

The note was frequently referenced by the following coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to criticise the financial record of the previous Labour government, and used as a visual prop by David Cameron in the Question Time debate preceding the 2015 general election.[20][21] After the party's election defeat, Byrne stated he had been "burnt with shame" since 2010 over the note which had harmed the 2015 election campaign.[22]

Since 2010

Byrne is the chair of the APPG on Inclusive Growth, formed in July 2014 with the aim of finding a new consensus on inclusive growth to ensure the benefits of growth are enjoyed by all sectors of society.[23] He is also chair of the APPG on Children of Alcoholics, which has produced a manifesto in support of the estimated 2.5 million children of alcoholics who live in the UK. Byrne himself was one of these children and set up the APPG after speaking publicly about his father's condition in 2015.[24] Alongside Chuka Umunna, Byrne made an official visit to Israel in October 2012 as part of the LFI's UK-Israel Economic Dialogue group.[25] Byrne is a member of the Labour Friends of Israel.[26]

Byrne was shortlisted for the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award in 2015 for his work on raising money for charities and remains in the directory of the Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who publication.[27]

He supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.[28]

In February 2020, Byrne was appointed as the Labour candidate for the 2021 West Midlands mayoral election.[29]

References

1. Johnston, Chris (12 October 2016). "Labour's Liam Byrne: I was at my lowest point after 'there's no money' note". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
2. Willgress, Lydia (12 October 2016). "Liam Byrne says he considered throwing himself off a cliff after leaving Treasury 'no money' note". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
3. "Liam Byrne was ready to quit over 'no money' note". BBC News. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
4. "Tom Watson: 'Was I disloyal? I don't take kindly to being told what to do'". The Guardian. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
5. "Debates for 22 July 2004 - 2:23 pm". Hansard. 2004. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2004.
6. "General Election 2010". Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 8 May 2010.
7. "Byrne fined over car mobile use". BBC News. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
8. Summers, Deborah (3 October 2008). "Government reshuffle: Profile: Liam Byrne". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
9. Dismore, Andrew (9 August 2007). "Moving the goalposts mid-game". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
10. Ford, Richard (9 August 2007). "Rule change cheats skilled migrant workers". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
11. "Joint Committee On Human Rights - Twentieth Report". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
12. "UK tribunal sides with HSMP visa holder denied extension under new rules". workpermit.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
13. "HSMP Forum Ltd, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWHC 664 (Admin) (08 April 2008)". bailii.org. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
14. "UK - UK Politics - Minister in 'British day blunder'". BBC.
15. Topping, Alexandra (17 November 2008). "Leaked demands portray minister as an eager diva". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
16. "Exclusive video of infamous Treasury memo". ITV News West Country. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
17. Byrne, Liam (9 May 2015). "'I'm afraid there is no money.' The letter I will regret for ever | Liam Byrne". Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
18. "Liam Byrne shows regret over 'no money' letter". BBC. 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
19. "Byrne to Laws: There's no money left". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
20. "Leaders grilled on post-election deals in Question Time special". BBC. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
21. Marina Hyde (1 May 2015). "Election leaders Question Time: Live from dreamworld". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
22. Toby Helm (9 May 2015). "Liam Byrne says 'there's no money' note harmed Labour's election campaign". The Observer. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
23. "Liam Byrne to chair cross-party group on inclusive growth | LabourList". LabourList | Labour's biggest independent grassroots e-network. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
24. Byrne, Liam (24 November 2015). "Labour MP's brave stand as he shares the pain of living with an alcoholic dad". mirror. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
25. "Conservative and Labour MPs take part in new Israel missions". The Jewish Chronicle. London. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
26. "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
27. "Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who". Grassroot Diplomat. 15 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
28. "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
29. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-51401388

External links

• Liam Byrne official website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Byrne's speech to Labour Party Conference 2011 hosted by YouTube on the party's official channel
• Profile: Liam Byrne BBC News, 2 November 2007
• The seat of power?, Nick Watson, The Politics Show, 5 July 2007

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Terry Davis	Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill 2004–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Tony McNulty as Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality	Minister of State for Borders and Immigration 2006–2008	Succeeded by Phil Woolas
New office	Minister for the West Midlands 2007–2008	Succeeded by Ian Austin
Preceded by Ed Miliband	Minister for the Cabinet Office 2008–2009	Succeeded by Tessa Jowell
	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2008–2009	Succeeded by The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Preceded by Yvette Cooper	Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2009–2010	Succeeded by David Laws
Preceded by Philip Hammond	Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2010	Succeeded by Angela Eagle
Preceded by Tessa Jowell	Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office 2010–2011	Succeeded by Tessa Jowell
Preceded by Douglas Alexander	Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 2011–2013	Succeeded by Rachel Reeves