JAMES Purnell has revealed he has 'no regrets' about quitting the Cabinet - and denied he was part of a Blairite plot against Gordon Brown.

The Stalybridge and Hyde MP, speaking exclusively to the MEN, said he had not spoken to the prime minister since his sensational resignation.

Mr Purnell stunned Westminster last Thursday when he quit his job as Work and Pensions Secretary.

The move looked set to bring down Mr Brown - but the rebellion fizzled out after other key Blairites failed to follow suit. The prime minister survived a crunch meeting of Labour MPs on Monday night after pledging to `learn from his mistakes'.

Mr Purnell's decision to stand down followed hot on the heels of similar moves by Hazel Blears, the former Communities Secretary, and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. That sparked rumours of a planned coup to oust Mr Brown. But Mr Purnell said he had not discussed his plans with other colleagues.

"It was not a plot," he told the M.E.N.

"I was saying what I had to say to be true to myself. I was very clear that I did not want to be part of a plot. I did not want to put colleagues in a difficult position by telling them my plans.

Discussions

"Of course I had discussions with different colleagues [that week], but it was very important I did not tell them I was resigning that evening. I can't control the decisions of other people in government."

Mr Purnell said other senior 'Blairites' who did not follow his lead - including David Miliband and Andy Burnham - retained his 'full support'.

"I am not saying they did the wrong thing," he said. "I completely respect colleagues who took a different view - people with similar values and commitment to the Labour party. A friend of mine said you can't go wrong with the truth.

"It was a very personal decision. I could not go out on Friday night and say things I did not believe to be true. It is something I have struggled with for a while.

"I do not regret saying what I said, but I also intend to be loyal from the backbenches.

"I am not going to become a public critic about what the government has done wrong."

Mr Purnell admitted there was 'disagreement' in the ranks about the way forward for Labour. But he said all MPs were committed to 'doing the best thing for the party'.

He said he had discussions with the prime minister 'over the past few months' about the direction the government was taking. But he did not tell him about his decision to quit until 'a quarter to ten' on Thursday night - when the news was already breaking.

He did, however, tell the chairman and secretary of the CLP 'just before' he told Mr Brown.

"In an ideal world I would have had a party meeting but I wanted the news to come out after the polls closed," he added.

Mr Purnell's decision sparked outrage among local party members. Kevin Welsh, chief whip of the Tameside Labour Party, was 'incandescent' with rage. Coun Welsh described the move as ill-judged, self-indulgent and a massive mistake.

Mr Purnell refused to comment on whether he thought the party was in a weaker position as a result of his actions. And he declined to say whether he thought his own stellar political career had been stalled.

"This was not a political judgement," he said. "This was not about calculating different consequences. It was about telling the truth."

The MP said everyone in Labour - including the government - bore 'responsibility' for the party's dismal showing in the European Elections, where it polled just 15 per cent. But he said he 'genuinely' believed they could still win the next general election.

"The most disappointing thing about the election was the BNP getting a seat in the north west," he said. "I was keen that my decision did not come out until the polls had closed."

Mr Purnell said the reaction in his constituency had been 'great'.

"People have been stopping me in the street and shouting out of car windows," he said. "I have spoken to loads of people in the CLP and I have had very strong support. Some people have disagreed with what I did, but in a very good-natured way."

Mr Purnell said he was proud of what a Labour government had achieved for Stalybridge and Hyde - and said he intended to refocus on being an active local MP.

The most disappointing thing about the election was the BNP getting a seat in the north west
James Purnell MP

"I will be supporting the government but most of all I will be working hard in my constituency," he said. "That can get a bit lost in Cabinet and I am looking forward to seeing people face-to-face, and having coffee mornings and roving surgeries.

"There are some big things that I want to do, like seeing through the Mottram-Tintwistle by-pass, reducing over-crowding on trains, getting more of my constituents to university, and regenerating Hyde town centre.

"Even those people who have disagreed with me have said I am a good local MP."

Internet rumours that Mr Purnell had considered crossing the benches to join the opposition were dismissed as 'ludicrous'. Mr Purnell said Tory leader David Cameron was a 'clever politician' who `blew in the wind' on policy.

"When he first got elected he was going to be a 'new Labour' leader, and now he is the grandson of Margaret Thatcher," said Mr Purnell. "He is a politician who doesn't know what he believes."

The MP said the expenses scandal highlighted the need for a new era of 'open politics'.

"Politics is going to need to change," he said. "There is a gap between what people feel they need and what the reality is. We need open politics. It will be a great change - even if it is uncomfortable for politicians."

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