Britain's Blair seen in 'meltdown' as Labour junior ministers resign

LONDON, Sept. 6 Kyodo

One of Labour's junior ministers and six ministerial aides resigned Wednesday in protest over British Prime Minister Tony Blair's continued failure to announce a firm and official timetable for his departure, prompting widespread speculation that the government is in ''meltdown.''

Member of Parliament Tom Watson handed in his resignation for his ministerial role in the Ministry of Defense, promptly followed by Parliamentary Private Secretaries Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami, David Wright and Chris Mole, in what is being viewed as the latest in a series of significant in-party protests.

''I no longer believe that your remaining in office is in the interest of either the party or the country. 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,'' Watson wrote in a letter to the premier.

''For the sake of the legacy you have long said is the only one that matters -- a renewed Labour Party reelected at the next general election -- I urge you to reconsider your determination to remain in office,'' he continued.

The initial dramatic move by Watson, promptly tailed by his six ministerial aide-colleagues, followed a warning by the party's Chief Whip Jaqui Smith suggesting that Watson's ministerial position would be ''untenable'' if he did not withdraw his signature from a letter written by a large proportion of lawmakers elected in 2001 calling on Blair to stand down.

Responding to the first of what was to become a series of shock resignations, the prime minister said cuttingly in a statement that he had been intending to dismiss Watson anyway, stating that his signing of the 2001-intake letter was ''disloyal, discourteous and wrong.''

However, speaking on BBC2's Newsnight program Tuesday, former Cabinet minister Clare Short -- known for vocalizing her opinions against the government -- said the fact that apparent Blairite loyalists like Watson were now looking to their leader to step down indicated the depth of the prime minister's difficulties.

''If that worm has turned, then it's virtually over,'' Short said in reference to Blair's doomed premiership, echoing a notion sweeping through the country that change in the political village of London's Westminster is very much afoot.

The prime minister's official spokesperson played down the long-standing speculations over Blair's departure-timings, however, telling journalists, ''What the prime minister intends to do is get on with the agenda the government was elected on to address.''

But the spokesperson's insistence that the government would not give a running commentary on predicted dates is unlikely to deter the British press in particular from its rumor-making, with the Sun newspaper reporting Wednesday that Blair would quit as Labour leader on May 31 of next year, finally resigning on July 26, 2007 following an eight-week contest for a successor.

With such definite votes of no confidence in the prime minister as Watson and company's resignations undoubtedly are, it remains to be seen, however, whether Blair will be able to make it to the end of the month, let alone into his 10th premiership year in May without being near-forcibly removed from office by disillusioned party members.

As he prepared to leave the country for an imminent visit to the Middle East, Labour lawmakers with prime ministerial aspirations were already jostling behind Blair's back to be first in the new-leader queue; a sight which caused much satisfaction to opposition parties.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Menzies Campbell, said, ''What is at issue is the national interest, which is not being served by the continuing uncertainty over Mr. Blair. The Labour Party has created this situation and has the responsibility to solve it. Mr. Blair should either resign or state a date.''

And speaking from New Delhi on an official trip to India, Conservative leader David Cameron expressed similar sentiments, describing the uncertainty over the Labour leadership as ''deeply damaging.''

In a bid to assert himself firmly as Britain's future prime minister, fresh-faced Cameron went on to term the current government as being in ''meltdown'' -- a statement which, following the day's events, could conceivably ring true.

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