Bickerstaffe was by now being pulled in all directions. When Brown and Bickerstaffe did finally meet, Brown told the Unison leader he was reconvening the composite group in a further effort to put pressure on him. By eight votes to five, the composite group voted for the motion to be remitted. However, the vote did not shift Bickerstaffe and as movers of the motion, it was for Unison alone to decide whether or not to remit. The Millbank fixers then hauled in Dennis Skinner, one of Bickerstaffe's oldest friends.
Skinner is thought to have voiced faith in government promises to lift pensions.
We opened the door to allow them to move and for some reason which we will never understand they chose not to walk through it. However others were more rueful.