Steve Dyson, who quit the Birmingham Mail at the end of last year, is currently doing some freelance work on political issues for Radio WM.

But there was un unexpected surprise in store for station bosses when Steve turned up for work on Monday.

For the former Mail news chief had brokered an agreement to pre-record an interview with creative industries minister and local MP Sion Simon, in which he revealed he was quitting parliament in a bid to become Birmingham's first elected mayor.

The story led the station's news bulletins from the start of its breakfast show at 7am on Wednesday and was swiftly picked up by the rest of the media.

The broadcaster shared the spoils with Steve's former paper, the Mail, as Mr Simon had also given the story as a print exclusive to its London-based political editor, Jon Walker.

Said Steve: "Sion had confided in me his plans to resign on Wednesday and he agreed to do the interview as long the BBC promised not to use it before 7am."

Radio WM's managing editor Keith Beech added: "Steve has huge local knowledge and contacts and certainly his good relationship with Sion helped get the story on air."

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