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 resigned from his position and sought re-election in a by-election after switching parties. This decision led to discontent among the SDP leadership and the local party chose the former Labour MP as their candidate without national headquarters' approval. Initially, he was told that he would need to finance his own campaign.