Resignation sparks Cabinet reshuffle

Estelle Morris received applause as she left her office

Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to announce a Cabinet reshuffle following the dramatic resignation of Education Secretary Estelle Morris.

Ms Morris quit on Wednesday night after admitting that she felt she had not done well enough in the job.

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I'm not having second best in a job that's as important as this

Estelle Morris

The former teacher had come under sustained pressure following the recent debacle over A-level marking and delays in vetting teachers for the new school year.

Click here to watch Breakfast's discussion with the former QCA Chairman Sir William Stubbs, a student and two teachers representatives

Downing Street said on Wednesday night any reshuffle would be "limited".

Missed targets

Ms Morris was cheered and clapped by civil servants as she left the Department for Education and Skills on Wednesday night.

Several officials even broke down in tears as she walked out.

Tony Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister had "accepted her resignation with regret", while government sources denied she had been forced to quit.

This week the former teacher had faced more trouble over an apparent failure to honour her own promise to resign if education targets were missed.

Ms Morris was also under pressure after she tried to intervene when an appeals panel reinstated two boys expelled for threatening a teacher.

In an interview with BBC News, Ms Morris said she thought she had not been as good at the cabinet post as in her old job as schools standards minister.

Primary school targets caused the latest row

She said she had felt more comfortable before she became a secretary of state taking strategic decisions and running a "huge" department.

"If I'm really honest with myself I have not enjoyed it as much and I just do not think I'm as good at it as I was at my other job.

"I'm not having second best in a job as important as this."

But she denied feeling out-of-her depth and was proud of her achievements.

The outgoing minister said she found some media coverage "intrusive", but was not critical of journalists.

Excellent job

Mr Blair met Ms Morris on Tuesday to discuss her wish to resign, and told her to think about it overnight - she did but remained "absolutely sure" she wanted to go.

In a letter to Ms Morris, the prime minister said he was certain she would return to government.

"I have no doubt you are doing an excellent job, as I said to you and I have full confidence in you," wrote Mr Blair.

A-level marking raised the pressure on Morris

Labour Chairman Charles Clarke, a former schools minister, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt, Europe Minister Peter Hain and Schools Minister David Miliband are being touted as possible successors to Ms Morris.

Despite the intense volley of attacks on her in recent weeks, Ms Morris had tried to tough out demands for her departure.

News that she has gone has come as a dramatic surprise at Westminster.

In the most recent controversy to land on her desk, Ms Morris was accused of misleading MPs by denying she had promised to resign if targets were not met.

In 1999, as education minister Ms Morris said she would resign if the government failed to meet its targets on numeracy and literacy in 2002.

The targets were not met but Ms Morris said she would prefer to aim high and miss than set objectives that were too easy to meet.

Choppy waters

John Dunford, from the Secondary Headteachers' Association, told BBC News 24 he was "disappointed and surprised" at her resignation.

He praised Ms Morris as a very sincere politician who had been completely committed to improving schools standards.

Sir William Stubbs, the former chairman of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said Ms Morris had presided over a "catastrophe of the credibility" of the A-level system.

But he said her advisors had "let her down very badly" and had "led her into very difficult and choppy waters" over the A-level crisis.

Conservative shadow education secretary Damian Green said Ms Morris' failure was the failure of the government's education policy.

"She has lost the confidence of parents and pupils in her ability to run our schools," he said.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "I am personally sorry for Estelle Morris.

"Her resignation is an opportunity for a fresh start for the government's entire approach to the education system."

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