Liam Byrne’s demands ignored by staff

As Gordon Brown's so-called "Cabinet enforcer", Liam Byrne is a man used to getting his own way. However, his attempts to keep his team of civil servants in line – he recently issued them an 11-page memo listing, among other things, when they should bring him coffee – has not proved particularly effective.

On Monday, Byrne (pictured), whose official title is Cabinet Office Minister, was spotted queuing up to buy a hot drink near his office in Portcullis House, Westminster. Asked by a reporter from the Independent why he had not employed one of his multitudinous lackeys for such a lowly task, he said: "They never pay any notice to what I say, anyway."

In Byrne's list of do's and don'ts, issued under the heading "Working With Liam Byrne", he had ordered: "Coffee/Lunch. I'm addicted to coffee. I like a cappuccino when I come in, an espresso at 3pm and soup at 12.30-1pm."

He even dictated what font size his briefing notes should be presented in, and warned staff: "Never put anything to me unless you understand it and can explain it to me in 60 seconds."