Gordon Brown was dealt a devastating blow tonight as James Purnell quit the Cabinet and told him to stand down to save the Labour Party.
The Work and Pensions Secretary’s sensational decision, given to the Prime Minister shortly before polling ended in the European and local elections, left an already damaged Mr Brown in grave peril. He told Mr Brown to stand aside and give Labour a “fighting chance of winning”.
The departure of such a talented minister in a crucial reforming role raised immediate questions over whether other ministers would follow, and whether Mr Brown had the authority to complete his Cabinet reshuffle.
It is all quite serious. Five government ministers have gone in the last 3 days. We voted today in elections for two apparently minor groups of representatives: members of the European Parliament; and members of local councils, or at least those coming up for re-election. It is expected that there will have been a low turn out and that such votes as are cast will show a move away from Labour and Conservative and towards minor parties. If it happens this will be a protest vote against the scandal of parliamentary expenses which has affected both the government and main opposition parties.
Under our system, a Parliamentary general election has to be called within the next year and pressure is growing on the prime minister to call one now and there is further pressure on him to resign now to enable a new leader to be chosen to lead Labour into the next election.
Whether Mr Brown can continue will probably depend on how bad the local and European parliamentary election results are and perhaps more crucially whether senior Labour party government ministers back him by agreeing to serve in government in the Cabinet reshuffle going on this weekend. If he can command the support of the Cabinet he may survive for a bit.
It is all uncharted territory, but what is clear is that things are moving very rapidly indeed. You might say that things are coming to a head. I don’t remember anything quite like it.
Thanks, Pageantmaster. Helpful to hear more about this from the “inside.”
#3 Thanks, Veritas2007. I am more on the outside than the inside but have a view from the other side. It is hard to see much upside to the downside at the moment for our government.
When I was in Britain some years ago I got into a discussion in a pub about British politics. During the course of which I was asked if Britain really needed two houses of parliament. My answer remains pretty much the same today as then.
No it doesn’t. But I still can’t think of a good way of getting rid of the commons.
In ICXC
John
Sounds to me like the old adage of rats jumping off a sinking ship.
About time too….this present government have ben blinkered, arrogant and seriously destructive. They have built a society of the individual, pushing faith from the mainstream and into the margins. What is more they have bankrupted the nation and shamefully bundled the debt onto my daughter and all other future generations.
BE GONE! And good riddance….I shall HEAVE a sigh of relief when the Marxist experiment comes to an end
Well this morning it is too early to call the election results although results for the government are not good so far.
Brown has brought forward his Cabinet reshuffle and the key jobs of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary remaining with Alistair Darling and David Miliband respectively. Alan Johnson, talked of as a contender for Prime Minister is Home Secretary replacing disgraced Jacqui Smith.
So Brown has secured some key positions but is still fighting for his position.
It is on a knife-edge, and another minister, the Defence Secretary, John Hutton resigned today. It may be possible to watch it all unfold here if you can be bothered:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8084571.stm