5th British cabinet minister quits, urges Brown to step aside

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was dealt a devastating blow to his leadership late Thursday when one of his most ambitious ministers resigned and called on him to step down.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell became the fifth minister to abandon Brown's Cabinet in recent days.

In his resignation letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Purnell called on the prime minister to resign for the good of the Labour party. Purnell was the first of the five ministers who quit to openly criticize Brown and ask him to step down.

In his letter to Brown, Purnell writes: "I am calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning. As such I am resigning from government."

The resignation letter came hours after Britain held elections Thursday for the European Union parliament and local town halls. Results have not been announced, but Labour is expected to fare poorly.

Purnell considered a rising star

Purnell, 39, was seen as a fast rising Labour star but he said in his letter that he is not seeking to lead the party himself.

Purnell's resignation comes as Brown gears up for a major Cabinet shuffle and tries to recover from a scandal over legislators' expense claims.

Brown's Downing Street office said the prime minister was "disappointed" by Purnell's resignation and that he only learned of it at 10 p.m. local time. The prime minister's office added that Brown's "focus over the coming days will be on restructuring the economy through the downturn and strengthening it for the future."

Opposition leader David Cameron said the government is falling apart.

"With this resignation, the argument for a general election has gone from being strong and powerful to completely unanswerable," he said.

Movement to oust Brown

Ministers, aides and even Alan Sugar, host of the British version of The Apprentice, spoke with Brown at his Downing Street office Thursday, as the beleaguered prime minister tried to reorganize his Cabinet to reassert his authority and revive his ailing government.

Some lower-ranking Labour Party lawmakers were seeking support for an attempt to oust Brown and hoped that the party's expected poor results in the elections would strengthen their case.

Brown's chief whip Nick Brown — in charge of party discipline — said dissidents were actively working to topple Brown, including veterans loyal to former prime minister Tony Blair and some maverick lawmakers.

An email by rebel legislators that was leaked to British media tells Brown: "You can best serve the Labour Party and the country by stepping down."

Opposition legislators and analysts say a scandal over lawmakers' allowances has exposed Brown's failings — revealing a lack of command over his party and an inability to deliver promised political reforms.

Public perceives MPs as greedy

Lawmakers from all parties have been seen as greedy for charging the public for such things as large screen TVs, a mole catcher and repairs to a swimming pool. Critics blame the ruling Labour Party for not tightening Parliament's lax laws.

Even though members of the opposition Conservatives have been responsible for some of the most outrageous claims, the party has surged ahead in opinion polls. Cameron is considered all but certain to win the next election.

Brown must call a national election before June 2010.