WORLD BRIEFING / BRITAIN
Prime Minister Gordon Brown was dealt another blow to his leadership 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.
Purnell was the first of the five ministers to openly criticize Brown. In a letter to Brown, he wrote, “I am calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning. As such I am resigning from government.”
Purnell, 39, was seen as a fast-rising star in the Labor Party, but said he was not seeking to lead the party.
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