Gary Titley leader of Labour's MEPs is not standing for re-election according to the Manchester Evening News. Titley tells the MEN it’s all down to the colossal waste of having a rotating parliament that flips between Strasbourg and Brussels.

Having worked in Strasbourg for an MEP and been a postgrad at the University there I have fond memories of the place but recognise the arguments for streamlining.  However wit the building of a new purpose-bulit chamber to cope with enlargement, there must be no chance of a relocation from Strasbourg in a hurry. The issue has long been debated and was used by Mitterand as a bargaining chip when the Maastrict treaty needed signing.