Liam Byrne 'to quit to run for Birmingham mayor'

Liam Byrne is expected to say he will resign from the shadow cabinet, if Birmingham votes for an elected mayor.

The Birmingham Hodge Hill MP has been Labour's spokesman on work and pensions since October 2010.

Birmingham is among English cities holding a referendum on whether they want a directly-elected mayor on 3 May.

A Labour source said he was expected to formally announce his intention to run for the job on Friday, in the event of a "yes" vote in the referendum.

Fellow Labour MP Gisela Stuart, MP for Edgbaston and former Labour MP Sion Simon have also been linked with the Labour candidacy.

If Birmingham decides to have an elected mayor, Labour and the other political parties are expected to hold ballots to select their candidates in the early summer.

Mayoral elections are then scheduled to be held in November - on the same day as elections for police commissioners.

Mayoral referendums are also being held in nine other cities, including Manchester and Newcastle. In Doncaster, which already has an elected mayor, residents will be asked if they want to keep the current system.

Mr Byrne was number two in the Treasury under the former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling, having held a range of ministerial positions under Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

He famously left a note in the Treasury before the 2010 general election telling his successor that "I am afraid there is no money left". He later apologised, describing the comment as "flippant".

Mr Byrne has represented his Birmingham constituency since 2004.