The charge sheet

STEPHEN Byers was a man with form. That, say his critics, including some distinguished Labour voices, is the real reason he had to go. Whether at the Department of Trade or Transport, or in Opposition, this is a politician who is a serial offender against the truth.

His friends say this is a travesty. They say he has been deliberately singled out as a target by Tories determined to get a scalp.

As the record shows, however, Mr Byers has found his judgment and veracity questioned by a growing array of influential figures, many of them outside the world of politics.

The unions row, October 1996:

Mr Byers was accused of spinning the idea Labour might break its link with the unions. He had dinner with four journalists in Blackpool and all wrote similar stories indicating the historic link might one day be severed completely. Mr Byers said the stories were 'ludicrous' but was contradicted by sources close to the journalists, all of whom suggested the stories came from him.

The Rover affair, March 2000 :

Mr Byers was accused of failing to act promptly as BMW sold off Rover. When the announcement was made public, Mr Byers insisted he knew nothing about the planned move. But the chairman of BMW insisted he had rung Mr Byers to tell him that 'Rover was in critical survival mode - in serious trouble'.

Geoffrey Robinson, March 2001:

Mr Byers is accused of suppressing a report accusing Geoffrey Robinson of dishonesty. A full report detailing accusations against Mr Robinson - then Paymaster General - was submitted to Mr Byers, but the minister chose to suppress it rather than reveal that his former colleague had misled Parliament. The report claimed that Mr Robinson had received a cheque for £200,000 from the disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell. Mr Robinson denied recieving or soliciting the cheque.

Jo Moore's bad news day, September 2001:

Mr Byers is seen to be protecting Jo Moore, his special adviser, who described 11 September as a 'good day to bury bad news' but was not sacked. In an interview with his local newspaper, Mr Byers said the decision to spare Jo Moore from dismissal was not taken by him. But he was challenged by others who revealed that he initially saved Moore from dismissal by appealing directly to Tony Blair.

Railtrack, October 2001:

Mr Byers is accused of lying about a meeting with the chairman of Railtrack. The row followed a meeting with John Robinson after which Mr Byers took the company back into public ownership, outraging the private shareholders. Mr Byers claimed that Mr Robinson told him the company was in crisis. But Mr Robinson said he did no such thing. He was supported by notes of the meeting which showed no record of such a conversation.

Air safety, February 2002:

The minister is accused of lying about air safety. Mr Byers denied that the National Air Traffic Control consortium needed urgent financial assistance. But he was eventually forced to agree to a £30m loan. Insiders claim that six weeks prior to agreeing the loan, he received a letter from the consortium asking for money and, therefore, knew all along of its financial difficulties.

Press officer row, February 2002:

Mr Byers is caught out over the resignation of his press officer, Martin Sixsmith. He announces that Martin Sixsmith, his press chief, has resigned. But it later emerges that no such resignation had been agreed. Byers later compounds his lies by claiming he had not attempted to interfere in a compromise deal with Sixsmith. It is later claimed that he had.

Moore/Sixsmith affair returns, May 2002 :

The Department of Transport admits in a statement that Mr Sixsmith did not resign as he had claimed. Furthermore the Department is forced to reveal a settlement with the former press officer of £200,000.