British prime minister Tony Blair has sacked home secretary Charles Clarke in a cabinet reshuffle designed to restore his battered authority after one of the Labour Party's worst local election results on record. Frank Millar, London Editor, reports
Conservative leader David Cameron emerged the big winner on the night, securing his new leadership against right-wing critics by defying earlier pundits' predictions of net losses to see his party win some 300 seats and 40 per cent of the vote. The Liberal Democrats came second with 27 per cent of the vote to Labour's 26 per cent, although with fewer than 20 net gains to his credit new party leader Sir Menzies Campbell was left to claim a night of Lib Dem "consolidation".
Still without representation in big cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester, Mr Cameron admitted his party still had "a long way to go", while insisting it was gaining credibility as an alternative party of government. And having watched Labour lose control of its citadel in Camden and much of the London political map turn blue, most commentators agreed that by surpassing the performance of his three predecessors Mr Cameron had delivered the first glimmer of a genuine Conservative revival.
Mr Blair responded ruthlessly by telling his friend and ally Mr Clarke that public concerns would not permit him to remain at the Home Office in the wake of the foreign prisoners release fiasco. And in a bid to "refresh" his cabinet, a move which affected almost a third of its members, Mr Blair stripped deputy prime minister John Prescott of departmental power and demoted foreign secretary Jack Straw to leader of the Commons.
Margaret Beckett, a long-time survivor, became Britain's first woman foreign secretary, while Mr Blair's most trusted firefighter, Dr John Reid, replaced Mr Clarke at the Home Office.
Turnout on Thursday was estimated at 36 per cent - down three points on 2004 - for the contests which saw the far-right British National Party win 11 seats from Labour in Dagenham and Barking, while George Galloway's anti-war Respect party gained 11 councillors in London's Tower Hamlets.
There were no implications in the post-election reshuffle for the peace process, with secretary of state Peter Hain declaring himself "delighted" to have been asked to remain in charge at the Northern Ireland Office as well as in Wales.
The Conservatives and Labour MP Kate Hoey criticised Mr Blair's decision to retain Mr Prescott as his deputy. And despite the appointment of Gordon Brown's key ally, Ed Balls, as economic secretary at the Treasury, Labour rebels predicted "more skirmishes" ahead between the prime minister and the chancellor following a reshuffle widely seen as "circling the wagons" around the Blair leadership and about which Mr Brown was apparently not consulted.
The Labour Representation Committee, a grassroots organisation of more than 700 Labour members, affiliates and supporters, said it would now initiate a debate about the leadership succession in the run-up to the party conference in the autumn. MP John McDonnell said they would meet in July to plan their next move, which could include a leadership challenge later in the year.
Mr Brown said the election results were "a warning shot" from the electorate and that he would be discussing with Mr Blair over the weekend how voters' concerns could be addressed. However, his ally, former chief whip Nick Brown, said he was not sure Mr Blair could end the party's "drift".