The Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, is said to be considering quitting the Cabinet to run for the top job in the new Scottish parliament.

If Mr Cook decided to opt for the prestigious role of Scotland's First Minister, he would be expected to resign from the Cabinet next summer to prepare for the 1999 parliamentary elections.

Friends of Mr Cook say he is expected to make his decision in the next few months.

The Scottish Secretary, Donald Dewar, has long been regarded as the hot favourite for the job, which is effectively Prime Minister of the government north of the border.

The news the Mr Cook is considering abandoning Westminster comes on the heels of a new survey which reported only a handful of Scotland's MPs would give up Westminster to stand for election to an Edinburgh parliament.

Just over a dozen said they might put themselves forward for the new Scottish parliament, reports The Scotsman, which conducted the survey.

More than 20 said they did not wish to stand for election as a member of a Scottish Parliament including two Cabinet members.

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