Blow for Brown as cabinet minister quits

Published on Tuesday 16 September 2008 10:15

GORDON Brown's authority suffered a devastating blow today as a minister quit in the row over his leadership.

David Cairns finally resigned from his post at the Scotland Office after a day of fevered speculation in Westminster.

The move followed an intense bout of Labour infighting, which was sparked when Government Whip Siobhain McDonagh broke ranks on Friday to call for a leadership contest.

The Prime Minister acted quickly to sack Ms McDonagh – a close friend of Mr Cairns – and was then also forced to fire two other MPs who had worked for Number 10 as envoys.

In his resignation letter, Mr Cairns warned the Prime Minister it was now "hardly credible" to deny leadership and direction had become an issue.

And the time had come to "take the bull by the horns" and allow a leadership debate to take its course, Mr Cairns said.

Despite Labour's achievements, it had fallen behind a Tory opposition of "breathtaking shallowness", and an SNP administration in Scotland that had betrayed many, he said.

Mr Cairns said he had argued against colleagues seeing nomination forms as this would only lead to "division and wrangling" – but they went ahead and the current crisis began, to his "dismay".

But it was the response to this that had caused him most unhappiness, Mr Cairns continued.

"Rather than seizing the opportunity to open out to the broader party membership a discussion that is being held in private, our response as a Government has been to suggest that these were the actions of a tiny number of disaffected people who have taken leave of their senses, are part of some larger plot and are entirely unrepresentative of the PLP," he said.

"These were among the more charitable responses.

"I do not believe any of these things to be the case, though I understand the frustration of those good comrades who hold a different point of view."

He went on: "In any event the debate is now on.

"The issue of leadership and direction are being discussed and argued over, and to go on denying it is hardly credible.

"I wish it were otherwise.

"To that end I believe that the time has come to take the bull by the horns and allow a leadership debate to run its course."

He continued: "I know that it is incompatible to hold this view and to remain a serving minister, and although it had not been my intention to resign, I have reluctantly concluded that it is the only honourable course of action left open."

A statement from Downing Street said today: "The Prime Minister has accepted David Cairns' resignation.

"The exercise of Government demands collective responsibility."