Blears quits as minister
Wednesday 3rd June 2009, 11:05AM BST.
Hazel Blears today quit the Cabinet in another bodyblow to Gordon Brown’s ailing premiership.
Mrs Blears stood down as communities secretary just a day after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced she would be quitting the Cabinet.
Last month Mr Brown described Mrs Blears’ behaviour as “totally unacceptable” after it was revealed she had avoided capital gains tax in a second home claim.
Mrs Blears said she had broken no rules but she paid back £13,000.
Today’s decision puts yet more pressure on Mr Brown as his Cabinet spiralled into freefall on the eve of the local and European elections.
A wave of resignations has thrown his fightback Cabinet reshuffle into disarray.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to stand down after being hit by expenses revelations. Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson, a close ally of Mr Brown, and Children’s minister Beverley Hughes are leaving the Government for personal reasons.
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Not really a big loss is it? But notice she refuses to resign as a MP and is planning to carry on standing for election…
Surely she should have the gravitas to withdraw from the stage completely.
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whats the connection with Shropshire?
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It certainly is no big loss. You’d hardly call her a minister of ability.
The amusing thing is that people like her and Jacqui Smith are – they claim – going yo concentrate on representing their constituents which is the most important aspect of their job and all the rest of that guff.
Well, neither of these two have spent much time supporting or representing their constituents – they support the Government, which, er, isn’t *quite* the same thing… :-)
Don’t they realise that they’re both finished in politics? They have no chance of re-election. Surely they can see that – or can they not face the certainty that their self-interested, rotten little worlds are about to crumble round their ears?
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Just like all MPs are up to all the tricks in the book to exploit their expense claims Bob, these Labourites are up to all the tricks in the book to get to places where they are not wanted.
This woman is small, spirited and lively, she can get to places others can’t reach
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Ms Blears will hang on right until the very end when she is voted out at the next election.
I very much doubt any private business would pay her as much as she is on now based on ability however I can see her getting a highly paid job in the public arena maybe a pointless NHS manager or paper shuffler somewhere that is if labour are still in power at the next election.
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If she saw/heard some of the comments of some of her constituents on last nights TV news, anyone who had any pride and dignity would have put their ticket in this morning. Here we had lifetime, committed Labourites really slating their Labour MP and telling her to go now.
Politics is in a pretty poor state when genuine, Lancashire Labourites, the salt of the earth, tear into the affections of a real left wing Labour MP, one of their own.
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She’s been quoted as saying that she wants to return to the grass roots – she hasn’t got as far to travel as most people……
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