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British minister to quit for family reasons - TV
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-24 13:44

LONDON - Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is set to quit British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour government because she wants to spend more time with her family, Sky television reported on Wednesday.


Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly [Agencies] 

Sky, quoting unidentified sources for its information, said Kelly's decision did not appear to have anything to do with calls for Brown to resign over Labour's poor opinion poll ratings less than two years before a parliamentary election.

Kelly had been an ally of the prime minister but the timing of her departure could overshadow his latest efforts to rally the ruling party behind him, it said.

No independent confirmation of the report was immediately available.

In a speech to Labour's annual conference on Tuesday, Brown defied calls for him to quit, vowing to stand by his beliefs and fight on to make life better for people living in Britain.

Brown, a former finance minister, said that with global markets in crisis this was no time for a novice, a remark aimed at the opposition Conservatives and perhaps potential Labour rival David Miliband.

After 11 years in power, Labour is some 20 points behind the Conservatives in opinion polls, putting the government on course for a crushing defeat at the next election, due by mid-2010.

Brown, 57, promised few significant new policies or spending measures, which may not stop some Labour parliamentarians questioning his leadership. But delegates loved his performance and bookmakers said it was now less likely he would go.

A mini-mutiny erupted last week when a dozen members of parliament called for Brown to go. While the revolt petered out, talk of a challenge may grow if polls do not improve for Labour.

The economy was once the jewel in Labour's crown. But inflation is now double the government's target, unemployment is rising fast and the housing market has crashed, pushing Britain towards its first recession since 1992.

Brown, who took over the premiership from Tony Blair in June 2007, lacks his predecessor's easy charm and some in Labour want a better communicator to lead them into the next election.