Byers saga: last twists in a Jacobean revenge tragedy

Tory HQ had been puzzling about how to keep the Byers story going tomorrow but the latest twist in the Brown-Blair wars has sorted that out for them. The Left and the Brownites let rip at the PLP meeting this evening.

Disciplinary action against Stephen Byers and potentially others too was not in the No. 10 masterplan for this saga. They may yet be able to smother the attempts – but the Chief Whip Nick Brown, no friend of the Blarite “coupists”, as one MP called them, sounds very enthused about the idea of humiliating Byers with a removal of the whip or some such punishment to round off his parliamentary career.

It has the makings of one of the last act murderous twists in a Jacobean revenge tragedy, and after a few weeks of looking slightly more cheerful you have to say it makes the PLP ranks look introspective and self-mutilating.

On a related matter, the MoJ expects to produce guidance for future parliamentary candidates that will require all of them to be candid with the voters about outside interests before polling day. This is implementing a recommendation of the Kelly Committee that was outstanding.

Traditional parliamentarians hated the idea but the party leaderships have signed off on it and are ready to send out forms to the candidates to declare what second or third jobs they might be intending to carry on in addition to being an MP.