Pressure mounting on Brown to resign

Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, announced his resignation in a letter to several newspapers after polls had closed in European and local elections.

Purnell wrote that Brown should quit his position for the good of the Labour Party and that his leadership made a victory by the opposition Conservatives likely in the next election.

Tipped as a rising star within the governing Labour Party and a possible future leader, Purnell is the fifth minister to quit in recent days -- the third at Cabinet level -- piling the pressure on Brown to go.

David Cameron, leader of the main opposition Conservatives, said Purnell's departure showed that the government was "falling apart in front of our eyes" and said the argument for Brown to call an immediate general election was now "completely unanswerable".

Two other ministers, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, who faced criticism over her expenses, resigned on Wednesday, while Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she would step down at the reshuffle, which could happen as soon as Friday.