/ 5 June 2009

Brown battles for future as third top minister quits

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was battling to stay in his job on Friday after a minister quit calling for his resignation, while the Labour Party faced heavy local and European poll losses.

In a shock move as polls closed late on Thursday, James Purnell stepped down as Work and Pensions Secretary, prompting Brown to reshuffle his government in a bid to relaunch his premiership.

Purnell, tipped as a rising star and possible future leader, is the third Cabinet minister to quit this week — but the first to call openly for Brown to go.

”I now believe that your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less, likely. That would be disastrous for our country,” Purnell wrote in his resignation letter to Brown.

”I am therefore calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning. As such I am resigning from government.”

Brown will reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday, Downing Street said, following the wave of resignations, which also included Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and two junior ministers.

A reshuffle would be seen as an attempt to relaunch his premiership, particularly in the wake of local election results, which at first sight look bad for Labour.

With only three of 34 councils declared, the ruling party has lost 23 seats, compared with the main opposition Conservatives who have gained 18.

The European election results will not be published until Sunday, in line with the rest of the continent.

Opinion polls suggested Labour could suffer some of its worst-ever results and finish behind the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and even fringe eurosceptics the United Kingdom Independence Party.

Nevertheless, there was little sign of high-level support for Purnell early on Friday as a series of ministers toured television and radio studios defending Brown.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson, seen by many commentators as the most likely replacement for Brown, told reporters: ”I continue to believe that Gordon Brown is the best man for the job.

”It is vital now, more than ever, that we unite for the sake of the party and the government.”

Trouble ahead
But there could be trouble ahead if he demotes heavyweights such as Finance Minister Alistair Darling or Foreign Secretary David Miliband, seen as a leadership contender last year.

The BBC reported that Darling would keep his job, despite Brown’s reported wish to replace him with his loyal lieutenant, Schools Secretary Ed Balls.

Brown was ”disappointed” by Purnell’s departure and was now concentrating on ”restructuring the government”, a spokesperson for his Downing Street office said.

Conservative leader David Cameron, tipped by polls to be prime minister within a year, said Purnell’s resignation showed the government was ”falling apart in front of our eyes” and renewed his call for a snap general election.

A general election must be held by mid-2010 and opinion polls put the Conservatives well ahead.

Purnell said in his resignation letter he was not standing for the leadership himself.

In power since 1997, Labour has been badly hit by the scandal over lavish expense claims from the public purse by lawmakers, which has dominated the headlines in the United Kingdom for the last few weeks.

Public anger is particularly high as Britain struggles with the worst recession since World War II.

British media have reported that a group of rebel MPs are circulating a letter calling on Brown to step down, which they will hand to him on Monday after all the election results are in.

Labour Party rules state that 72 MPs must sign a motion of no-confidence to trigger a leadership election. Labour currently has 350 MPs, a majority of 63. — AFP

 

AFP