Labour MP Liam Byrne has been lambasted for “swanning off” to Japan amid Birmingham’s ongoing bin crisis, with commentator Carole Malone branding the decision “astonishing”.The MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North – who is also chair of the business and trade committee – flew 6,000 miles to Tokyo for a “fact-finding mission” with seven other MPs at the end of last month.Rather than return with colleagues on Friday after official meetings concluded, Byrne is understood to have extended his stay for a personal holiday.Birmingham is currently facing 21,000 tonnes of rotting waste as Unite Union continue their strike against the city’s council – with the issue not being raised by MPs in Parliament.Discussing Byrne’s trip on GB News, commentator Carole Malone said: “He’s gone off to Japan on a job, on a fact finding mission. What facts could he possibly be finding that would be useful to Birmingham? I can’t imagine. “Especially at a time when there’s 21,000 tonnes tons of rat infested rubbish rotting in his city. He’s swanned off and he’s extended the trip to a holiday.”Throwing her support behind the residents of Birmingham, Malone called on locals to “not pay their council tax” until the vital service is resumed.She added: “They’re fining residents a rat tax now. Before it was free, if you had pest problem, you’d call them out, it was free. Now they’re having to pay. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:’Third world countries are better!’ Birmingham residents take aim at ‘incompetent’ councilDeadly organ failure warning issued as rat-infested rubbish could spread ‘eye-bleeding’ virusLabour plunged into chaos after Birmingham councillor quits party over ‘rat tax'”They shouldn’t pay their council tax. They’ve had a rise of 10 per cent, next year it’s going to be 7.5 per cent, and nothing’s happening.”In defence of Byrne, commentator Jonathan Lis argued it is “not his responsibility” to resolve the ongoing bin strikes, and is a “matter for national Government”.Lis explained: “Liam Byrne is not in the government, he has no jurisdiction to resolve this issue whatsoever.”He can’t summon the different parties to resolve this dispute, that’s a matter for the council and the union and ultimately for national government.”Lis was questioned by host Andrew Pierce on his remarks, as he asked the commentator: “You really think he is in the right place right now?”Lis responded: “I’m not responsible for Liam Byrne’s diary, but this trip would have been planned a long time ago, and I think it’s completely legitimate for MPs to go on delegations and to find things.”Infuriated by Lis, Malone interjected: “At a time when your constituency is in the kind of mess that Birmingham is in just now, where you should be supporting, he should be raising that in Parliament. “How many MPs in Parliament have raised this? Hardly any. He should be shouting from the rooftops about what’s happening in the city.”A spokesman for Liam Byrne said: “Since Friday, Mr Byrne has anchored the major launch of the Committee’s draft report on the UK-EU reset; set out a 5 point roadmap for managing tariffs; engaged with ministers on the latest Post Office Horizon data.”The spokesman added that Byrne had “held informal meetings with Japanese business” and “joined ministerial meetings on the Birmingham bin strike.”
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