Byers treads water

Did he resign or didn't he?

Stephen Byers the Transport Secretary still has his job - confounding those critics who said he HAD to resign after telling MPs that his former Press Secretary Martin Sixsmith had resigned, when in fact he hadn't.

Opposition MPs were determined to corner the Transport secretary and get an explanation for the contradiction.

Today in the Commons Mr Byers came out defending himself in a statement to the House of Commons, but it's not clear whether he's done anything to ease the stormy waters around him.

The Conservatives are frustrated by the apparent clear contradiction between what Mr Byers said in February when he gave the clear impression that Mr Sixsmith had resigned and his statement that day was titled "The Resignation of Martin Sixsmith," and this week's events in which the Transport Department issued a statement on Tuesday making clear that Mr Sixsmith had never resigned and that his employment had this week been ended by mutual agreement.

The Opposition gave Mr Byers a rough ride today - and at times he struggled against a tide of noise and derision as he tried to focus attention on policy.

Our political correspondent Jonathan Beale explained the events in the Commons.

Tony Wright, Labour chairman of the Public Administration Committee, told PM that Mr Byers' conduct in the Commons was a matter of judgement. But he acknowledged that he was tired of the continuing controversy.