UK News 07-09-2004 `Porn Minister` Resigns who: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Andrew Smith what: Resigns prior to Cabinet reshuffle where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "The man heading the Ministry of Porn quit last night, sparking a Cabinet reshuffle and a Downing Street power struggle," writes The Sun`s Trevor Kavanagh. "Work and Pensions Secretary Andrew Smith resigned 12 days after The Sun told how staff had called up two million pages of internet filth, including child abuse sites, on work PCs." Kavanagh reckons that Smith, "who used to introduce himself as the boring one at Whitehall receptions," resigned before he could be sacked for his failure to reduce the government`s spending on benefits or make sufficiently radical changes in pension policy. However, most of the other papers focus on Smith`s alignment to Gordon Brown, seeing it as another small victory for Tony Blair in the old friends` Downing Street power struggle. Moreover, says The Financial Times, "the critical question this week is whether Mr Blair will press ahead and appoint Alan Milburn, his close ally and a long-time antagonist of Mr Brown, as the new party chairman." Ian McCartney, the current Party chairman, is usually referred to as an ally of Mr Brown. Political editor James Blitz says the prime minister is determined that "no minister - even the mighty chancellor - should enjoy a veto over whom he appoints to cabinet." [... more]

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