IT is good to know that details of the Labour Party inquiry into events surrounding the resignations of six Blackburn councillors are about to be announced.

By calling in Labour peer and Commission for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips the party has already shown it is treating the matter seriously.

And so it should be.

Some councillors have linked the defections with the proposed replacement of Coun Mahfooz Hussain as the executive committee spokesman for education.

The six themselves have talked about being blamed for the defeat of council leader Sir Bill Taylor and hinted at other comments being made which they objected to.

Independent group leader Coun Jan Virmani says he welcomes the inquiry and believes it should be made public because "the Labour party has a responsibility to let the people who voted for me know what happened."

Sir Bill has also said the findings should be revealed but Labour's regional director says they may only be "if there are implications for people outside the party."

The whole issue of these six defections has already had wide and profound implications far beyond the boundaries of the borough.

Voters will rightly feel insulted and angry at anything less than the fullest possible explanation of these bizarre events.