Tories miss their big chance... again
Today's Commons statement had a simple - and inaccurate - billing. "Resignation of Martin Sixsmith," announced the screens dotted round Westminster which give details of business in the chamber.
Stephen Byers rose to his feet hoping that Mr Sixsmith's was the only resignation on the cards. The former communications chief had already enriched the political lexicon with his declaration he had "been resigned".
As Mr Byers surveyed the baying ranks of Tories opposite him, he would not have been human had his stomach not been churning. Would he, in turn, have to accept he was going to "be resigned" by Tony Blair?
Mr Blair was not there to hear Mr Byers admit he had given a far from full account of the facts on TV on Sunday. He had plenty of heavyweight support, but the admission over ITV's Dimbleby programme gave Mr Byers his stickiest moment.
The loudest Tory jeers came when the minister declared his readiness to take tough decisions: "Resign," they boomed. Had the Tories been given a free hand they would no doubt have put up one of their attack dogs in the lead role - Eric Forth, the ferocious shadow Commons leader, or Michael Howard, the shadow Chancellor.
However, procedure dictated it had to be shadow transport secretary Theresa May - who has failed in the past to lay a glove on the besieged minister.
Sadly for her party, her run of form continued today. She was constantly shouted down by Labour backbenchers and struggled to home in on the key issue - Mr Byers's admission he had been much more closely involved with Mr Sixsmith's departure than he had led voters to believe in his TV interview.
The Tories had missed their big chance. As the highly charged session wore on, Mr Byers began to look confident of keeping the number of resignations claimed by the affair to two.
