Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, previously Birmingham Hodge Hill, since 2004. He served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Cabinet from 2008 to 2010.
Byrne served in the Home Office under Prime Minister Tony Blair as Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism (2006) and Minister for Borders and Immigration (2006–08). He served in Gordon Brown's Cabinet as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2008 to 2009. He deputised for Chancellor Alistair Darling at HM Treasury as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2009 to 2010. Upon his departure as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he notoriously left a note for his successor which read "I'm afraid there is no money".[1][2][3]
In Opposition, he attended Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2010), then Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office (2010–11) and Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2011–13). Following his demotion in 2013, Byrne continued to serve in junior Shadow Ministerial roles under Miliband and later Jeremy Corbyn.
Byrne was the Labour candidate for Mayor of the West Midlands in 2021, losing to the Conservative incumbent Andy Street. He is now the chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (12 October 2016). "Labour's Liam Byrne: I was at my lowest point after 'there's no money' note". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Willgress, Lydia (12 October 2016). "Liam Byrne says he considered throwing himself off a cliff after leaving Treasury 'no money' note". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ "Liam Byrne was ready to quit over 'no money' note". BBC News. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.