As if by magic, Labour Birmingham Mayor wannabe Siôn Simon has waded into a row entirely manufactured by his allies in Westminster. After Harman and Watson took flack from their colleagues for suggesting that MPs should be banned from triggering by-elections in order give Simon a clear run, he has been able to ride in like a white knight and declare that the plan could not work. There’s one small catch though…

Writing in the Birmingham Post, the union-backed Brownite calls for his rival (either Liam Byrne or Gilesa Stuart) to meet the costs of any by-election from their own pocket:

“Sitting Labour MPs should now be allowed to stand. They should sign undertakings to abide by the result and not to run as independents if they lose, and perhaps also to repay to the Labour party and the Exchequer the cost of their by-elections if they win.”

Wasting taxpayers money is something our Siôn knows all about it. He managed to siphon £21,000 of public money to his sister before being caught red-handed. As an MP he was able to merely pay back the money. As a Mayor in all likelihood he would have been done on corruption charges…