Times Online : Exit crisis engulfs No 10 as seven loyalists quit Government

Exit crisis engulfs No 10 as seven loyalists quit Government

By Philippe Naughton | September 6, 2006

Tony Blair's authority as Prime Minister - and his desire to cling to office until next summer - were in tatters today after seven junior members of his Government resigned in protest at his refusal to lay out a clear timetable for his departure.

The seven were among a group of 17 formerly loyal MPs who signed a letter yesterday calling on the Prime Minister to name his resignation date, something that he has refused to do since announcing before the last election that he would not be seeking a fourth term in power.

The first resignation, and the most damaging, was that of Tom Watson, a junior defence minister and Blairite loyalist who has a safe seat in West Bromwich East.

That was followed by the departure of Khalid Mahmood, then came a joint resignation letter from Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami and David Wright - all parliamentary private secretaries - before Chris Mole, also a ministerial aide, joined the exodus.

Mr Watson's "Dear Tony" letter paid tribute to Mr Blair both as Labour leader and Prime Minister, but declared that it was no longer in the interest of either the party or the country that he continue in office.

"How and why this situation has arisen no longer matters," he wrote. "I share the view of the overwhelming majority of the party and the country that the only way the party and the Government can renew itself in office is urgently to renew its leadership."

Mr Blair's reaction was fast and furious - clearly betraying the gravity of the situation. Within minutes of Mr Watson announcing his decision to resign, he released an extraordinary statement to say that he had been planning to fire him anyway.

"Had he come to me privately and expressed his view about the leadership, that would have been one thing. But to sign a round robin letter which was then leaked to the press was disloyal, discourteous and wrong," Mr Blair said. "It would therefore have been impossible for him to remain in Government."

He followed that up with a personal letter to Mr Watson expressing regret at his departure, but adding: "We are three years from the next election. We have a strong policy platform. There is no fundamental ideological divide in the Labour Party for the first time in 100 years of history.

"For the first time ever, we have the prospect not just of two but three successive full terms. To put all this at risk in this way is simply not a sensible, mature or intelligent way of conducting ourselves if we want to remain a governing party."

The torrent of resignations appears to have put paid to Downing Street’s attempt to keep the lid on the crisis by letting it be known, via The Sun newspaper, that Mr Blair intended to resign as Labour leader on May 31, setting off a leadership contest that will see his successor enter No 10 by July 26.

That timetable had appeared to satisfy Glenda Jackson, the former minister who has been one of Mr Blair's most vocal critics. Ms Jackson said that he should now be given the space to implement that timetable.

But in his resignation letter, Mr Watson, who is best known as Britain's first blogging MP, made clear that a nod and a wink was not enough and what the party needed was clarity.

Mr Blair will soon face another challenge to his authority. The Times reported today that a further group of around 100 MPs are planning to warn the Prime Minister that he must confirm his resignation timetable in public if he wants to avoid a humiliating leadership challenge.

The pressure will now be on Mr Blair to clarify his departure plans in his address to the party conference in Manchester in three weeks' time - failing which a challenge appears likely.

If he does decide to name a date then, his colleagues will be eager to avoid a long drawn-out contest that could damage Labour before Scottish, Welsh and local elections next May, raising the possibility that he will be forced from office before the tenth anniversary of his first election win on May 1.

In an interview with The Times last week, Mr Blair said that he had no intention of saying any more than he already had about his likely departure date. That interview dismayed former loyalists, including Chris Bryant, the MP for Rhondda, and Sion Simon, the MP for Birmingham Erdington, and led to yesterday's damaging letter.

Mr Blair's warning about the risks of a divided party were echoed by Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, who told Labour MPs that it was "madness" to demand conditions from the Prime Minister.

Ms Hewitt said that the lesson of the 1980s was that if Labour turned its backs on the public, the British people will turn their backs on the party.

She went on: "It is madness for some Labour MPs to demand conditions from the Prime Minister, who has led us to three unprecedented election victories and who has made it clear that he will step down next year.

"It is equal madness for others to suggest that Gordon Brown must be tied down to a ’Blairite’ programme for the next ten years before he can become leader.

"The debate about Labour’s future direction is already under way, as we tackle problems like pensions, public health and security. This debate will rightly intensify during the leader and deputy leadership elections and continue through the process of agreeing the next manifesto that will be led by the new leader.

"We know from experience in government that when we involve the public in these debates, the policy outcomes are stronger and more effective. We must then involve the public in Labour’s debate.

"Everyone knows that the contest for the new leadership will take place next year. In the meantime, Tony Blair as leader and prime minister is entitled to expect at least as much loyalty and discipline as the next leader will rightly demand from the Labour Party."