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~AFP
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown lost his fourth minister within 24 hours on Wednesday as he faced taunts that his government was in meltdown on the eve of polls which could seal his fate.
Amid talk that the wave of resignations may be the beginning of the end of his premiership, Brown faced a rowdy Prime Minister’s Questions session at which Conservative leader David Cameron urged a snap general election.
“The government is collapsing before our eyes,” said Cameron, tipped by opinion polls to be elected as premier within a year.
“Why doesn’t he take the one act of authority left to him: get down to the palace, ask for a dissolution (of parliament), call that election?”
Nick Clegg — leader of the second opposition Liberal Democrats — said Brown’s Labour Party was “in total meltdown”.
The premier tried to hit back by stressing his policies on pulling Britain out of recession and dismissing the Conservatives as nothing but “talk, talk and talk”, prompting Cameron to charge that he was “in denial”.
The exchanges came on the eve of Thursday’s European Parliament and English local council elections, which are predicted to be a bloodbath for Labour — and barely an hour after Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears said she was quitting.
Blears said she was stepping down to return to “grassroots” politics but had been accused of “totally unacceptable behaviour” by Brown last month over her expense claims.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, left embarrassed after it emerged she claimed on expenses for two adult films watched by her husband, has confirmed she will step down at the next cabinet reshuffle, expected as early as Friday.
Children’s minister Beverley Hughes also said Tuesday she was going and will reportedly be joined by Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson, a close Brown ally.
The recent row over lavish expense claims by lawmakers, which has led 15 members of parliament to say they will quit, has piled fresh pressure on Brown’s already unpopular premiership amid accusations he has been slow to respond to public anger.
“Rats Desert Sinking Ship” and “Meltbrown” were among headlines Wednesday while The Guardian newspaper, traditionally sympathetic to Brown and Labour, symbolically withdrew its support for him.
