Pressure mounts for Blair’s deputy to resign

LONDON – Britain’s scandal-hit Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is in charge of the country while his boss Tony Blair holidays in Italy, faced growing calls yesterday to resign over his conduct.

Countering these demands, however, supporters insisted the burly politician was still a “valued” member of the governing Labour Party. For Blair, who has himself promised to quit before the next general election, due by 2010, the loss of his deputy would undermine his position and could ultimately hasten his own departure, analysts say.But pressure has grown on Prescott, a Labour Party heavyweight, to resign since he admitted last month to having an affair with a secretary.He sparked further outrage for clinging to his 133 000 pound salary and ministerial homes after a May cabinet reshuffle in which he lost key responsibilities because of the sex scandal.As a result Prescott, who turns 68 today, has been mocked in parliament and dubbed a “laughingstock” by his opponents.In the latest blunder, he was pictured by tabloids on Sunday playing croquet last week at one of his estates when he should have been standing in for Blair who at the time was in Washington meeting US President George W. Bush.Ian Gibson, a senior backbench Labour MP, questioned Prescott’s position as a minister with no specific department.”What matters to the person in the street is what he is doing, what is his job? He has all the fringe benefits and so on but yet it’s not clear what his position is,” Gibson told BBC radio.”I think that’s what makes people cynical about politics, and John perhaps in particular,” he said.Fellow Labour MP Christine McCafferty said the party would be unable to “re-engage” with crucial women voters as long as Prescott appeared to be going unpunished for his affair.”I personally think that John will want to do the right thing by the party and does need to consider his position,” McCafferty told the BBC.”I think he ought to now resign.”More senior party members, however, spoke out in support of the deputy PM.Defence Secretary Des Browne said: “My view is that John Prescott is a very valued colleague….He’s given a lifetime of service to the party.Without his contribution, among others, we wouldn’t have had three terms of government.”- Nampa-AFPFor Blair, who has himself promised to quit before the next general election, due by 2010, the loss of his deputy would undermine his position and could ultimately hasten his own departure, analysts say.But pressure has grown on Prescott, a Labour Party heavyweight, to resign since he admitted last month to having an affair with a secretary.He sparked further outrage for clinging to his 133 000 pound salary and ministerial homes after a May cabinet reshuffle in which he lost key responsibilities because of the sex scandal.As a result Prescott, who turns 68 today, has been mocked in parliament and dubbed a “laughingstock” by his opponents.In the latest blunder, he was pictured by tabloids on Sunday playing croquet last week at one of his estates when he should have been standing in for Blair who at the time was in Washington meeting US President George W. Bush.Ian Gibson, a senior backbench Labour MP, questioned Prescott’s position as a minister with no specific department.”What matters to the person in the street is what he is doing, what is his job? He has all the fringe benefits and so on but yet it’s not clear what his position is,” Gibson told BBC radio.”I think that’s what makes people cynical about politics, and John perhaps in particular,” he said.Fellow Labour MP Christine McCafferty said the party would be unable to “re-engage” with crucial women voters as long as Prescott appeared to be going unpunished for his affair.”I personally think that John will want to do the right thing by the party and does need to consider his position,” McCafferty told the BBC.”I think he ought to now resign.”More senior party members, however, spoke out in support of the deputy PM.Defence Secretary Des Browne said: “My view is that John Prescott is a very valued colleague….He’s given a lifetime of service to the party.Without his contribution, among others, we wouldn’t have had three terms of government.”- Nampa-AFP