British Cabinet member resigns - end looks nigh for Gordon Brown.

[Jackeens]

Source: BBC

Pressure on PM as minister quits

James Purnell has stepped down from the cabinet and told Prime Minister Gordon Brown to "stand aside"

In a letter to the Sun and the Times, the work and pensions secretary said he was not seeking the leadership but wanted to trigger a debate.

More from The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/04/james-purnell-resigns-gordon-brown-cabinet:

James Purnell, the work and pensions secretary, tonight dealt a monumental blow to Gordon Brown's chances of holding onto office when he dramatically announced he was quitting the cabinet and asking Brown "to stand aside to give Labour a fighting chance of winning the next election".....

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8083585.stm

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. The British are good people.

Their government is in a race to the bottom with ours; they're trailing badly.

[MADem]

2. OUCH.

Who's he acting for, I wonder? Which politician offered him a better gig if he'd simply do some shitstirring and get the ball rolling?

[Jackeens]

4. The early money seems to be on Alan Johnson and David Miliband

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Johnson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milliband

[MADem]

5. It'll all go wobbly if there's a public confidence vote, as opposed to a

secret ballot.

"We would love to have a secret ballot so that we can express our views in the confidence that there would be no recriminations whatever way the vote went."

But asked about the idea of a ballot on BBC One's Question Time, Labour's leader in the Lords Baroness Royall, said: "If that's Barry Sheerman's view I don't happen to agree with it. I believe at this moment in transparency and freedom of information."



Their party meetings are sometimes kind of interesting. That big shindig they do annually is sometimes good tee vee.

[No Elephants]

3. Heck of a job, Brownie!

[T_i_B]

6. Jumping ship before the polls are even closed.

That's bad.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Hutton quits in cabinet reshuffle

Defence Secretary John Hutton has become the latest minister to quit the government - although he is said to be remaining loyal to Gordon Brown.
...
Alan Johnson moves to the home office but Chancellor Alistair Darling and other key figures stay in place.

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the fact that Mr Hutton, who has criticised Mr Brown in the past, had decided not to join his fellow Blairite Mr Purnell in calling for Mr Brown to quit may have strengthened the PM's position.
...
Mr Hutton has said he is planning to stand down as an MP at the next election to pursue other projects.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8084501.stm