Fresh speculation as key minister to quit Brown government (Roundup)

Sep 24, 2008, 13:02 GMT

London - A key minister in the British government and long-time loyalist of Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced her resignation Wednesday, sparking fresh speculation about continuing unease over Brown's leadership.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly's move came only a day after Brown, in a rousing speech to the Labour Party annual conference in Manchester, northern Britain, sought to restore his authority after weeks of savage personal attacks and criticism of his leadership.

Kelly, 40, who served in senior positions under Brown during his 10 years as Chancellor of the Exchequer, said she would step down in a forthcoming government reshuffle, expected next week, to 'spend more time with her family.'

Kelly, one of the rising stars of New Labour, was first elected to parliament in Labour's 1997 landslide victory under ex-prime minister Tony Blair.

'It's been a tremendous privilege to have worked with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, two towering figures in the Labour Party,' she told the party conference on its closing day Wednesday.

But having four children under the age of 11, she did not one day have to 'regret' not seeing them grow up.

Oxford-educated Kelly, a former Guardian journalist, is a Roman Catholic from Northern Ireland.

Her strong beliefs and links with the ultra-conservative Opus Dei organization were known to have brought her into conflict with government legislation on ethical issues.

But the timing of her resignation sparked immediate speculation that the move could trigger as wider cabinet protest against Brown.

The BBC reported that Kelly had 'for some time' been unhappy about the party's direction under Brown and that cabinet ministers had approached her to lead a revolt ahead of the party conference.

Brown Wednesday rejected such speculation, saying Kelly had told him in May that she wanted to leave the cabinet.

'There are no political issues between Ruth and me,' he told the BBC.

And, when asked whether Kelly could have stopped being a 'fan' of his, Brown said: 'She's a very good friend of mine - I think you've got that wrong.'

At the party conference on Tuesday, Brown sought to deflect criticism of his leadership by presenting himself as the right person to lead Britain through difficult economic times and warning rebels against continued internal squabbling when there were much bigger issues at stake.