Hague: People are crying out for a General Election

Gordon Brown is fighting for his political life after Defence Secretary John Hutton became the latest member of his Cabinet to quit. Mr Hutton - one of Tony Blair's closest allies and known to have private reservations about Mr Brown as leader - has been loyal, however, since becoming a surprise inclusion in Mr Brown's first Cabinet in 2007. He was moved to defence last October. Mr Hutton is standing down as MP for Barrow and Furness at the next General Election but insisted that this is the only reason for his decision to quit the Cabinet. Armed Forces minister Bob Ainsworth will become Defence Secretary, according to sources. Mr Hutton said: "My decision is a personal one. I am absolutely committed to supporting Gordon as Prime Minister and doing everything I can to get a Labour Government elected at the next Election." Asked if he was deserting a "sinking ship" Mr Hutton said: "I am not deserting Gordon, I am not deserting my party, I am not deserting my Government." And asked about the shock resignation of Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, Mr Hutton said: "I disagree with James, I have a great deal of respect for him both as a man and a politician and I think the politicians that are always remembered are those who actually have the courage to say 'Look, difficult though it is, this is what I think'." He continued: "Now I disagreed with James' view about how we can best conduct our affairs over the next year or so because I don't think there is an alternative; Gordon is our leader, we should support him." Mr Hutton rejected suggestions that Mr Brown's departure was now "inevitable", adding: "We have made our choice of party leader and Prime Minister and it is our responsibility to support him now in these very difficult times and I will certainly be doing that." Mr Purnell's resignation letter was released to several newspapers. It calls on Mr Brown to step aside for the good of the Labour Party, saying that his continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less, likely. The letter reads: "Dear Gordon, We both love the Labour Party. I have worked for it for twenty years and you for far longer. We know we owe it everything and it owes us nothing. "I owe it to our Party to say what I believe no matter how hard that may be. I now believe your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less likely. "That would be disastrous for our country. This moment calls for stronger regulation, an active state, better public services, an open democracy. It calls for a Government that measures itself by how it treats the poorest in society. Those are our values, not David Cameron's." Downing Street said in a statement that Mr Brown was "disappointed" by the resignation but added that he will continue to give his undivided attention to addressing the challenges facing Britain. The leading Blairite is the third member of the Cabinet and fifth minister to announce his resignation in just three days, and the most senior Labour figure to call for Mr Brown to go. Conservative Party leader David Cameron reacted to the news by saying: "In a deep recession and a political crisis, we need a strong united Government. Instead we have a Government falling apart in front of our eyes. "For the sake of the country, Gordon Brown must carry out the one final act of authority left open to him, go to the Palace and call the general election we have been demanding." But Labour ministers have been rallying around the Prime Minister. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the Cabinet were "firmly" behind him. "The rest of the Cabinet are firmly behind the Prime Minister that is how we will remain, getting on with our jobs and taking on the big challenges still facing the country," he said. "I think we wait for the Prime Minister's restructuring of the Cabinet...you will find a reinvigorated Cabinet, a united Cabinet behind the Prime Minister, heads down, getting on with their jobs and addressing the main challenges that we have in Britain. "He is in charge of this Government, he is the man at the helm - that is where he is going to remain therefore he will choose his Cabinet and allocate the portfolios. On Mr Purnell, he said: "He has decided he doesn't like the face of the man at the top, it is not that he has any difference over policy or the agenda of the Government or the direction the Government is taking, he has made an electoral calculation and I think he has called it wrong." Defence Secretary John Hutton - another leading Cabinet Blairite - said: "I am sorry that my good friend James Purnell has decided to resign. "I think he has made the wrong decision because I firmly believe that Gordon Brown is the right man to lead our party and our country. "I urge everyone in the party to remain united behind his leadership." And Europe minister Caroline Flint - who some at Westminster had expected to be the next to quit - has given the PM her backing. She said: "I am staying in the Government. I have spent my entire ministerial career for six years now serving Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and I am very proud to be in a Labour Government and very proud to be part of Gordon Brown's Government."

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ITN | June 5, 2009

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