John Hutton just resigned.

[cazzer]

As per title

[Greenie]

Quicker than the BBC!

And the momentum flows back again! I thought Alan Johnson accepting the Home Secretary was game over for now but maybe not.

What happens with Foreign Secetary and what Milliband does as a result will be crucial. It hasn't been announced yet and I bet winky is negotiating for his political future with Milliband as we speak.

[DJC]

Live on Sky.

Gordon...yer a gonna!

Portaloo got it right last night.

[unrepentant]

"Family reasons".

[unrepentant]

Greenie said:

Quicker than the BBC!

And the momentum flows back again! I thought Alan Johnson accepting the Home Secretary was game over for now but maybe not.

What happens with Foreign Secetary and what Milliband does as a result will be crucial. It hasn't been announced yet and I bet winky is negotiating for his political future with Milliband as we speak.

He's already had to back down on the centrepiece of his re-shuffle, the elevation of Balls to the treasury. With Johnners at the Home Office and Darling going nowhere he can't move Milliband. There's nowhere for him to go that's not a demotion!

[speedchick]

You gotta feel sorry for all these Labour people they seem to be having really rough times with their repsective families at the moment, all these that are having to give up cabinet positions to spend more time with the family.

Bless

[Invisible man]

Did anyone see that cock on Newsnight last night, dunno who he was but no matter what was asked of him all he could say, and he must have repeated it 20 times was, 'all the people want is to see us sort out the current expenses scandal and get the economy back on track' he swore that Brown had the full support of the cabinet and the people were behind them. Utter, utter rubbish and the very reason people are sick to death of MPs

[Greenie]

unrepentant said:

Greenie said:

Quicker than the BBC!

And the momentum flows back again! I thought Alan Johnson accepting the Home Secretary was game over for now but maybe not.

What happens with Foreign Secetary and what Milliband does as a result will be crucial. It hasn't been announced yet and I bet winky is negotiating for his political future with Milliband as we speak.

He's already had to back down on the centrepiece of his re-shuffle, the elevation of Balls to the treasury. With Johnners at the Home Office and Darling going nowhere he can't move Milliband. There's nowhere for him to go that's not a demotion!

And Milliband knows that if he leaves Brown is finished. That is why it is taking so long-Milliband is naming his terms and winky isn't happy.

An amazing situation where the Chancellor and Foriegn Secretary have decided they want to keep there jobs and have announced it to the press and there is nothing the PM can do about it because he is so weak. The PM doesn't want either of them but has no choice.

[unrepentant]

Yeah it's a joke. Browns big guns were to be Balls and Mandy as Chancellor and For Sec. Both guns spiked. Never has a PM show to be so demonstrably powerless. I still can't see him surviving past Monday.

[john_p]

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

[Teppic]

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

What did you expect from the Brown Broadcasting Corporation?

[unrepentant]

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

The Hutton resignation seems to be legit. He hasn't criticised Brown, despite being a Blairite and he said Purnell was wrong to resign. He's also said he will stand down at the election. He doesn't seem to have been embroiled in the expenses row so it looks like a genuine resignation for family reasons.

[Chris_w666]

unrepentant said:

"Family reasons".

They wouldn't speak to him while he was still affiliated to winky, darling, and mandy.

[hornetrider]

unrepentant said:

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

The Hutton resignation seems to be legit. He hasn't criticised Brown, despite being a Blairite and he said Purnell was wrong to resign. He's also said he will stand down at the election. He doesn't seem to have been embroiled in the expenses row so it looks like a genuine resignation for family reasons.

Yes, the timing is entirely coincidence. Entirely.

[Greenie]

unrepentant said:

Yeah it's a joke. Browns big guns were to be Balls and Mandy as Chancellor and For Sec. Both guns spiked. Never has a PM show to be so demonstrably powerless. I still can't see him surviving past Monday.

I called Monday 10am as the end on Wednesday but it looks like Miliband is staying as Foreign Sec so I think he will survive for now.

The trouble is now I can't see who will put the final bullet into him. The key figures have all lined up behind him.

The only remaining chance is the PLP which isn't a lot of help! If the election results is truely terrible then it maybe back on again-and I mean less than 15% of the vote.

The trouble is the party know that whatever happens they are going to lose the election and that if they change leader they will have a call a general election straight away. The self serving bds and actually happy to keep Brown so they can collect their wages and expenses for another year and have time to line up another job.

I don't even want to think the effect on the country of another 12 months of this weakened government. The only benefit I can see if they the longer they drag it out the longer they will spend out of power. At the moment they are gone for 2 terms if they hold on for another 12 months they could be gone for 3 or even finished completely.

[unrepentant]

hornetrider said:

unrepentant said:

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

The Hutton resignation seems to be legit. He hasn't criticised Brown, despite being a Blairite and he said Purnell was wrong to resign. He's also said he will stand down at the election. He doesn't seem to have been embroiled in the expenses row so it looks like a genuine resignation for family reasons.

Yes, the timing is entirely coincidence. Entirely.

Who knows? The facts are that he has said he is leaving Parliament, hasn't criticised Brown (despite having done so in the past), has said that Purnell was wrong to resign and doesn't appear to have been tainted by the expenses scandal. All the evidence would suggest that his stated reasons for leaving are genuine.

[Chris_w666]

Greenie said:

The trouble is now I can't see who will put the final bullet into him. The key figures have all lined up behind him.

I think those key figures are getting as close to the top as possible and waiting for a vote of no confidence, or trying to fend off a decision that may lead to a general election that they know they cannot win.

[hornetrider]

unrepentant said:

hornetrider said:

unrepentant said:

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

The Hutton resignation seems to be legit. He hasn't criticised Brown, despite being a Blairite and he said Purnell was wrong to resign. He's also said he will stand down at the election. He doesn't seem to have been embroiled in the expenses row so it looks like a genuine resignation for family reasons.

Yes, the timing is entirely coincidence. Entirely.

Who knows? The facts are that he has said he is leaving Parliament, hasn't criticised Brown (despite having done so in the past), has said that Purnell was wrong to resign and doesn't appear to have been tainted by the expenses scandal. All the evidence would suggest that his stated reasons for leaving are genuine.

No, the timing is key. He's just not 'rocking the boat' as much as Hazel.

[unrepentant]

Chris_w666 said:

Greenie said:

The trouble is now I can't see who will put the final bullet into him. The key figures have all lined up behind him.

I think those key figures are getting as close to the top as possible and waiting for a vote of no confidence, or trying to fend off a decision that may lead to a general election that they know they cannot win.

I don't think refusing to move in defiance of his wishes equates to lining up behind the PM, which is effectively what Darling and Milliband have done. The problem for the Johnsons and the Millibands is that the man who pulls the trigger never inherits the crown. Just ask Michael Heseltine. It's importsnt to show some degree of loyalty right up to the time that the hapless fool falls off his perch. John Major was supportive of Margaret Thatcher but absent "having work done on his wisdom teeth" for much of the campaign to oust her.

[unrepentant]

hornetrider said:

unrepentant said:

hornetrider said:

unrepentant said:

john_p said:

BBC seem to be spinning this as part of the reshuffle?

The Hutton resignation seems to be legit. He hasn't criticised Brown, despite being a Blairite and he said Purnell was wrong to resign. He's also said he will stand down at the election. He doesn't seem to have been embroiled in the expenses row so it looks like a genuine resignation for family reasons.

Yes, the timing is entirely coincidence. Entirely.

Who knows? The facts are that he has said he is leaving Parliament, hasn't criticised Brown (despite having done so in the past), has said that Purnell was wrong to resign and doesn't appear to have been tainted by the expenses scandal. All the evidence would suggest that his stated reasons for leaving are genuine.

No, the timing is key. He's just not 'rocking the boat' as much as Hazel.

He's leaving Parliament FFS! He has absolutely nothing to lose so if he wanted to stick the knife in he could have. For all we know he told Brown months ago that he would leave at the re-shuffle, it's a normal time for ministers to stand down.