Labour Minister in shares probe

2.42.53pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 25th Sep 2006

As the Labour Party Conference takes place in Manchester a Labour Minister's shareholdings are being probed. Liam Byrne MP, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, and Home Office Minister has been forced to insist that he followed "all the correct procedures" after reports that a company he owns shares in has supplied services to police forces. Mr Byrne owns shares in E-Government Solutions Ltd, which has provided computer services to eight police forces and has had a turnover of £1.4million in the first six months of this year alone.

Mr Byrne had promised to sell the shares when he first joined the Government as a Health Minister in 2005 but has still not done so. Norman Baker, a Liberal Democrat MP said "Mr Byrne would have been much wiser to have disposed of his shares immediately upon taking ministerial office."