F ORMER Government high flier Liam Byrne visited Worcester last week to eat free food and spend some time with Councillor Joy Squires, Labour’s 2015 general election candidate.

The staunch Blairite, one of the creators of the ghastly New Labour ‘brand’, is probably best known for leaving the incoming coalition Government a note boasting how there was no money left in 2010.

His handwritten message to newly appointed treasury secretary David Laws said “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there is no money – kind regards and good luck!”

As it turns out, during his trip to Worcester he was asked by one city councillor about the infamous note, and responded by saying it was perfectly normal for outgoing ministers to leave humorous letters for their replacements, with the full expectation it would not be leaked anywhere.

Like a new born baby opening his eyes for first time, Mr Laws’ aides then went off and told the Daily Mail, which ran a piece declaring Mr Byrne was giving the nation a “two-fingered salute”.

“It goes on all the time apparently, it’s just that the Lib Dems hadn’t been in Government for so long they had no idea how it worked,” said the councillor.

There won’t be any repeats of this type of story, however. At this rate it’ll be the next century before voters trust Nick Clegg’s lot to help run the country again.

THE farcical fall-out from the will they/won’t they reject the South Worcestershire Development Plan almost cost Tory David Hughes his position as leader of Malvern Hills District Council.

But if the website team is to believed, he need not ever worry about handing in his resignation, as for a considerable time now fellow Conservative Phil Grove has been listed as the ‘leader’.

Perhaps the web team know something we don’t.

The irony, of course, is that Phil is a former leader himself, and stepped down last May, leading to Coun Hughes taking the hotseat, or seat of anguish as some have called it.

Due to the savage cuts at Malvern is the website being managed remotely from Baghdad?

Apparently Chris Huhne wishes he could turn back the clock. Which, let’s be honest, is yet another serious driving offence.