Et tu Ruth?

Ruth Kelly, the UK transport secretary, dropped a political time bomb on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown less than 24 hours after what many analysts believe was the Labour leader’s make-or-break speech to the party conference in Manchester. The Member of Parliament for Bolton West confirmed that she would be leaving the Cabinet in order to spend time with her family, effectively drawing all the attention away from Brown and focusing the spotlight squarely on her.

In context, what a decision it was, ie that a cabinet minister just hours after Brown’s address should feel compelled to not only leave but to announce it at this most crucial time. The fact that there may well be some merit in the basis given for her decision is irrelevant, as the timing of it will create the impression that senior members of the party are jumping ship before it disappears beneath the waves.

Once strongly tipped as a potential prime minister in the making and one of the youngest members to be made a cabinet minister, Kelly has not been without controversy. As a former education secretary her decision to send her child to a private school provoked uproar among the general public who believed it was confirmation of the poor state of public schools. In addition, as a Roman Catholic and member of Opus Dei (translates as “work of God”) she was called upon to quit her post or the secret religious organisation.

While Kelly had been brought into Cabinet by Tony Blair she had spent a lot of time with Brown at Treasury where a friendship developed. This, however, was thought to have cooled and in light of the timing of this decision, a lot more than most observers had initially suspected.

While there were suggestions that Kelly might well be excluded at the next cabinet reshuffle, this decision speaks of something far deeper because, as a member of cabinet, she would have been acutely aware of the fact that Labour’s ratings are rock bottom, that this conference is vital to the party’s future and that Brown’s speech was his last chance of salvaging his position.

Feedback seeping through from the conference appears to suggest that Brown’s speech received a mixed response from members of the cabinet with some persuaded but many still dubious about the future. Kelly’s move may well prove the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

If David Milliband should launch a putsch, which sees the re-emergence of the full-time mother from her retirement, Tony Blair’s shares will be up. Compared to this act of betrayal his conduct in the past will appear to be almost Brownite.

Shame