I AM seldom tempted these days to air my views via letters to papers.

However, the latest example of hypocrisy from senior figures in the Labour Party bears some comment.

In response to the news that Alan Milburn had agreed to advise the current coalition government on social mobility, that bloated old rent-a-gob Lord John Prescott (the same John Prescott who said he would never sit in the House of Lords) called Mr Milburn a ‘collaborator’.

He was quickly joined by former Health Secretary and Labour leadership contender, Andy Burnham who also criticised Mr Milburn for helping the coalition. Let me remind readers that both these individuals were members of Gordon Brown’s government who, less than three years ago, invited people from other political parties and none to join a “government of all the talents”.

How come it is OK for a Labour government to involve people from other parties, yet seemingly a heinous crime for a member of the Labour Party to assist a government of another colour?

This, I am afraid, is typical of the most tribal of all political parties in this country.

Countless examples exist of Labour hypocrisy. I will give you just one more current example.

The Labour shadow cabinet has decided to oppose the bill to allow the holding of a referendum on a change in the voting system from first past the post to the Alternative Vote.

Yet this was a Labour manifesto commitment.

Why have they decided to oppose the bill? Sheer political opportunism.

This is nothing new from Labour. Nineteen years ago, when I sat on the Liberal Democrat benches in opposition to the then Major government, the Labour Party Whips would instruct their MPs not to support Liberal Democrat motions or amendments to motions – not because they opposed the content of the amendments or motions (we always made sure then that any anything we tabled did not compromise Labour policy) but simply because it was proposed by the Liberal Democrats.

Some things never change – Labour arrogance and self- serving hypocrisy being two of them.

MICHAEL CARR, former Liberal Democrat MP for Ribble Valley.