He made the unique decision to resign and seek re-election at a by-election after his change of allegiance. It was the source of disquiet among the leadership of the SDP, and the constituency party choose the former Labour MP as their candidate without the approval of national headquarters. Initially the candidate was told that he would have to finance his own by-election.
He decided to resign and run for re-election in a by-election after switching parties. This decision caused conflict within the SDP leadership, and the local party chose the former Labour MP as their candidate without national headquarters' approval. Initially, he was told he would need to pay for his own campaign.