I WRITE in reply to Mary Machen and Paul Blanchard's letters (February 5) about Hugh Bayley's vote on the Iraq war.

I, like Mary Machen admire Hugh Bayley's tireless work for his constituents. But, unlike her, I believe that wonderful work is undermined if he doesn't also keep faith with his constituents as their representative in parliament. Maybe I'm spoiled. My MP, John Grogan, works just as hard in his Selby constituency, but has also kept his promises to vote against the Iraq war (failing a second resolution) and against top-up fees.

Coun Blanchard construes Hugh Bayley's promise, not to vote on war on Iraq without a second UN resolution. And there was I thinking it was a way of telling his constituents how he would vote.

Sadly Mr Bayley, unlike Mr Grogan, must have lost any power to influence Tony Blair, because the PM will now probably suspect that Hugh Bayley will always fall into line, no matter what he says at first. I hope Hugh can, in future, show that suspicion to be unjustified.

John Heawood,

Eastward Avenue,

Fulford, York.

Updated: 11:29 Thursday, February 12, 2004