Why Blunkett was under pressure

Analysis
By Nick Assinder
Political Correspondent, BBC News website

David Blunkett's fall from the Cabinet had become seemingly inevitable, only the timing was in question.

Blunkett affair was damaging the prime minister

Not only had he broken the ministerial code of conduct, but as each day dawned there were fresh newspaper revelations about his business dealings.

All this from a man already forced to resign once before, and on the back of stories about his private life which had seen him become a figure of fun in stage and TV dramas.

It was also increasingly obvious that the fallout from the latest row was starting to seriously damage the prime minister.

It is the second time in less than a year that Tony Blair had attempted to stand by the friend, who he had charged with the task of pushing through his so-called "legacy" reforms of the welfare state.

As it became clear that Mr Blunkett had broken the ministerial code of conduct in not taking advice on jobs he took while outside Cabinet, opposition MPs and even some on the Labour benches were claiming the affair had called the prime minister's judgement into serious question.

That was bound to come to a head during question time later on Wednesday.

Offered support

The fact Mr Blair had defiantly brought Mr Blunkett back into the cabinet only five months after he was sacked for the row surrounding the fast tracking of his nanny's visa had already raised questions over his judgement.

Blair was reluctant to lose his friend

And this second departure from Cabinet now has the echo of the two Cabinet departures of former minister Peter Mandelson (who was later given the job as European Commissioner by the prime minister).

Even the day before Mr Blunkett's departure, Tony Blair was offering him his full support and Downing Street spokesmen were insisting Mr Blair had been given all the information necessary about his friend's "mistake" to offer him that support.

But it was clear the matter was not going to go away and that it was getting in the way of Mr Blunkett being able to do his job properly.

Open revolt

Mr Blunkett had few frontbenchers willing to come out and back him in public, possibly not surprising after the publication of his biography in which he attacked a series of colleagues.

For Mr Blunkett it must be the end of his front line political career, although that was also said about Peter Mandelson.

For the prime minister it has all come at a time when he was already facing claims he has lost his grip on his cabinet and that some ministers were in open revolt over his reforms.

There have been growing signs that ministers and Labour MPs are looking beyond the prime minister's reign towards the post-Blair world.

The question now is whether this affair has further undermined his leadership or whether he has acted quickly enough to limit the damage.