Liam Byrne

The Right Honourable
Liam Byrne
MP
The Right Honourable Liam Byrne MP
	Official portrait, 2017
Chair of the Business and Trade Committee
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 18 October 2023
Preceded by	Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
	In office; 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Yvette Cooper
Succeeded by	David Laws
Minister for the Cabinet Office; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
	In office; 3 October 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Ed Miliband
Succeeded by	Tessa Jowell; The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
2007–2008
Junior ministerial offices
Minister of State
2007–2008	West Midlands
2006–2008	Borders and Immigration
2006–2006	Police and Counter-Terrorism
Under-Secretary of State
2005–2006	Care Services
2011–2013
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Cabinet
2011–2013	Work and Pensions
2010–2011	Cabinet Office
2010–2010	Chief Treasury Secretary
Shadow Frontbench
2017–2020	Digital
2013–2015	Higher Education
Member of Parliament; for Birmingham Hodge Hill
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 15 July 2004
Preceded by	Terry Davis
Majority	28,655 (63.7%)
Personal details
Born	Liam Dominic Byrne; 2 October 1970 (age 53); Warrington, Lancashire, England
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Manchester (BA); Harvard University (MBA)
Signature
Website	liambyrne.co.uk

Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970), is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004. A member of the Labour Party, 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.